From the Gospel according to Matthew 8:28–34
With this striking image, Jesus reveals the true nature of evil: a chaotic force that seeks to divide, destroy and drive us over the edge, separating us from God. This is what evil desires. Yet that precipice is not always visible or immediate. That is why we must remain vigilant, because evil often works quietly, disguised as something good or as a false sense of justice, gradually wearing away love and little by little pushing our marriage towards isolation, division and breakdown. It slips in through accumulated resentments, silence, indifference, a harsh reply, an unkind gesture, a lack of affection… Be careful! Evil rarely enters all at once; it usually comes subtly, but its aim is always to dehumanise the home, turning it into a cold place like the tombs, where no one wants to remain. Yet we also see that Jesus has absolute authority over evil. It may appear dramatic, shouting and threatening, but in the presence of Jesus it loses all its power. One single word from Him is enough to overcome chaos and restore peace. His power to heal and set free is infinitely greater than any wound evil may have inflicted. Therefore, no marriage is so wounded, so enslaved or so broken that it cannot be reached by His mercy. All we need to do is welcome Jesus and allow Him to do what only He can do: to set us free, rebuild what seemed beyond repair, and restore life where there was death. The real tragedy is that, like the Gerasenes, we are often willing to send Jesus away rather than lose our false sense of security. And this is the true evil: closing our hearts to Christ. May this never happen to us.
The house was silent. It was not the silence of peace, but the silence of distance. Each member of the family was shut away in their own world: the children absorbed by their screens, and their parents each occupied with their own concerns. They scarcely exchanged a few words during the day. There were no more embraces, no laughter, no shared dreams. Only a cold coexistence, where no one expected anything from the other anymore.
That evening, Rose remembered some words she had heard years before: “The final battle between the Lord and the kingdom of Satan will be over marriage and the family.”
A shiver ran through her. Deep in her heart she realised that evil had quietly scored a victory without them even noticing.
Rose: Peter, we’ve fallen into the trap. Evil disguised itself as something good, and we convinced ourselves that separating would solve everything and that the children would stop suffering.
Peter: I think their greatest suffering would be no longer seeing the love between their parents.
Rose: I don’t want our children to grow up believing that evil has the final word.
Peter: It’s in our hands, Rose. Let’s not be led by what we feel right now. This is a decision of the will. The problem isn’t that our love has died; the problem is that we have left outside our home the One who can bring it back to life. Remember Our Lady’s words at Fatima: “In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph.”
That night, the problems did not disappear, but they believed once again that God could restore life to what had seemed dead.
Mother,
Thank you for warning us about the great battle being fought within our families. May we never doubt the power of Jesus or your victory. Dear Mother, may your Immaculate Heart also triumph in our marriage.
Blessed are you!