Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute,
and when the demon had gone out,
the mute man spoke and the crowds were amazed.
Some of them said, “By the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons,
he drives out demons.”
Others, to test him, asked him for a sign from heaven.
But he knew their thoughts and said to them,
“Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste
and house will fall against house.
And if Satan is divided against himself,
how will his kingdom stand?
For you say that it is by Beelzebul that I drive out demons.
If I, then, drive out demons by Beelzebul,
by whom do your own people drive them out?
Therefore they will be your judges.
But if it is by the finger of God that I drive out demons,
then the Kingdom of God has come upon you.
When a strong man fully armed guards his palace,
his possessions are safe.
But when one stronger than he attacks and overcomes him,
he takes away the armor on which he relied
and distributes the spoils.
Whoever is not with me is against me,
and whoever does not gather with me scatters.”

From the Gospel according to Matthew 5:17–19

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets.
I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.
Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away,
not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter
will pass from the law,
until all things have taken place.
Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments
and teaches others to do so
will be called least in the Kingdom of heaven.
But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments
will be called greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.”

From the Gospel according to Matthew 18:21–35

Peter approached Jesus and asked him,
“Lord, if my brother sins against me,
how often must I forgive him?
As many as seven times?”
Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.
That is why the Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king
who decided to settle accounts with his servants.
When he began the accounting,
a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount.
Since he had no way of paying it back,
his master ordered him to be sold,
along with his wife, his children, and all his property,
in payment of the debt.
At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said,
‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.’
Moved with compassion the master of that servant
let him go and forgave him the loan.
When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants
who owed him a much smaller amount.
He seized him and started to choke him, demanding,
‘Pay back what you owe.’
Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him,
‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’
But he refused.
Instead, he had him put in prison
until he paid back the debt.
Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened,
they were deeply disturbed, and went to their master
and reported the whole affair.
His master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant!
I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to.
Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant,
as I had pity on you?’
Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers
until he should pay back the whole debt.
So will my heavenly Father do to you,
unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart.”

How is it possible that someone who has been forgiven refuses to forgive? Our Lord never ceases to forgive us everything; we already know beforehand that He will do so. Yet when we face the need to forgive our spouse, do we sometimes feel a resistance that makes us say: That’s enough now. Am I a fool? This cannot be forgiven, or something similar? What is happening? If this happens to me, it means that although God has offered me the fullness of His mercy, I have not truly been able to receive it, and it has not yet transformed my heart. One of the great graces God gives us when He forgives us is the awareness that we can no longer refuse forgiveness to anyone. Something begins to arise within us: Who am I to deny forgiveness to another? What attitudes do we need in order to be ready to receive God’s mercy in its fullness? 1) Humility, recognising our poverty and weakness. 2) Sincere sorrow of heart. 3) Deep gratitude. Only the heart that allows itself to be transformed by the grace of mercy is capable of forgiving. If you want to forgive, take your resentful gaze away from your spouse’s sin and look instead at your own poverty, so often embraced by God. Ask Him for the grace to forgive as He forgives, freeing you from the oppression of resentment. When spouses welcome mercy, marriage becomes a place where two poor people, sustained by the mercy of God, learn to forgive as God forgives them.

Michael: Forgive me, Grace… this morning I spoke harshly to you in front of the children. I was angry and I took it out on you.
Grace: Oh Michael, of course I forgive you. I didn’t respond well either… I ended up speaking badly to you too. And I thought to myself: what an example we’re giving our children!
Michael: Yes, but I started it, Grace… I truly regret it. Please forgive me.
Grace: Of course I forgive you, Michael. How could I not? Do you know how grateful I am to the Lord for all that He forgives me every single day? How could I refuse to forgive you? Besides… I couldn’t live without you.
Michael: And I certainly couldn’t live without you. Come here.
(As they embraced, their children walked into the room and ended up joining them.) Glory to God, because only He can turn our falls into a blessing.

Mother,

Teach us to receive mercy with grateful hearts, so that nothing is wasted, and that we may be filled with every grace as you were, full of grace. Praised be God who leads us into a new life — the life of forgiveness!

From the Gospel according to Luke 4:24-30

Jesus said to the people in the synagogue at Nazareth:
“Amen, I say to you,
no prophet is accepted in his own native place.
Indeed, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel
in the days of Elijah
when the sky was closed for three and a half years
and a severe famine spread over the entire land.
It was to none of these that Elijah was sent,
but only to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon.
Again, there were many lepers in Israel
during the time of Elisha the prophet;
yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.”
When the people in the synagogue heard this,
they were all filled with fury.
They rose up, drove him out of the town,
and led him to the brow of the hill
on which their town had been built,
to hurl him down headlong.
But he passed through the midst of them and went away.

Tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus,
but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying,
“This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
So to them Jesus addressed this parable.
“A man had two sons, and the younger son said to his father,
‘Father, give me the share of your estate that should come to me.’
So the father divided the property between them.
After a few days, the younger son collected all his belongings
and set off to a distant country
where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation.
When he had freely spent everything,
a severe famine struck that country,
and he found himself in dire need.
So he hired himself out to one of the local citizens
who sent him to his farm to tend the swine.
And he longed to eat his fill of the pods on which the swine fed,
but nobody gave him any.
Coming to his senses he thought,
‘How many of my father’s hired workers
have more than enough food to eat,
but here am I, dying from hunger.
I shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him,
“Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.
I no longer deserve to be called your son;
treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers.”‘
So he got up and went back to his father.
While he was still a long way off,
his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion.
He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him.
His son said to him,
‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you;
I no longer deserve to be called your son.’
But his father ordered his servants,
‘Quickly, bring the finest robe and put it on him;
put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.
Take the fattened calf and slaughter it.
Then let us celebrate with a feast,
because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again;
he was lost, and has been found.’
Then the celebration began.
Now the older son had been out in the field
and, on his way back, as he neared the house,
he heard the sound of music and dancing.
He called one of the servants and asked what this might mean.
The servant said to him,
‘Your brother has returned
and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf
because he has him back safe and sound.’
He became angry,
and when he refused to enter the house,
his father came out and pleaded with him.
He said to his father in reply,
‘Look, all these years I served you
and not once did I disobey your orders;
yet you never gave me even a young goat to feast on with my friends.
But when your son returns
who swallowed up your property with prostitutes,
for him you slaughter the fattened calf.’
He said to him,
‘My son, you are here with me always;
everything I have is yours.
But now we must celebrate and rejoice,
because your brother was dead and has come to life again;
he was lost and has been found.'”

Lord, in this parable you show me three attitudes: that of a father who loves without measure, that of a son who thinks only of himself, and that of a son who appears righteous. Today this Word speaks to my heart and invites me to ask myself how I behave with my spouse.

Do I act like the younger son, allowing selfishness and pride to distance me from him? Do I recognise my sins and know how to say “sorry” without excuses? Do I rise and return to his heart when I have betrayed his trust?

Or do I behave like the elder son, silent but with a hardened heart, judging inwardly, thinking that I do more, that I never fail, measuring everything with justice but without mercy?

Or am I able to love like the father? To give without receiving, even when there have been failures; not constantly recalling past mistakes, but restoring with love, without demanding explanations, without interrogating, simply embracing your spouse with mercy.

Brought Down to Married Life

Michael: Beatrice, sometimes I still feel ashamed when I remember how I behaved with you and with the girls… how I turned our home into an extension of my work. Just work and more work, obsessed with being promoted, excusing myself by saying I wanted to give you the best, while neglecting you.
Beatrice: My love, those were difficult years. I simply prayed and asked the Lord to come and meet you, because it hurt me to see how your heart was becoming harder and harder.
Michael: Beatrice, and now I can say it with joy — how the Lord listened to you. When I lost my job I felt everything collapsing. I felt I was worth nothing anymore. And yet, what awaited me was the best of all… you embraced me as if nothing had happened, and in your eyes I saw an infinite mercy, like the Lord saying to me, “Do not worry, you have come home.”
Beatrice: I was waiting for you to return, Michael. The moment your main pillar collapsed, I could only give thanks to the Lord, because you were returning to me, because you needed me… And it was from that moment that we began this path of communion between us.
Michael: Truly, I can only thank the Lord for bringing me home.

Mother

Lead us always by the hand to Jesus, so that our home may be a reflection of his mercy and communion.
Blessed and praised be you forever, Lord.