Monthly Archives: July 2026

Lamb or Wolf? Reflection for married couples. Matthew 10:16-23

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‘It is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father.’
Gospel according to Matthew 10:16–23

At that time: Jesus instructed his Apostles: ‘Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues, and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.’

The Gospel of the Lord

Lamb or Wolf?

Today the Lord gives us a warning, and the question we must ask ourselves is… Am I a lamb or a wolf in my marriage?
If I stay close to God and the Lord is my Shepherd, then I will listen to my spouse, I will be open to what they say, I will sow peace in our home and, ultimately, I will know the joy of loving and being loved, like a lamb with its shepherd.
If, however, I drift away from the Lord, my heart becomes increasingly selfish, arrogant and proud. I will want to be right, I will sow discord in our home and, in the end, I will become a wolf.
And you, what do you want to be—a wolf or a lamb?

Applied to Married Life:

Amelia: I thought I had everything under control… But then our arguments began, after that we both lost our jobs, and then came the financial difficulties…
Jonathan: Yes, Amy, I remember. And on top of that, we tried to solve our problems in a thousand different ways. We even tried every kind of therapy to save our marriage…
Amelia: Yes, and all those solutions only fed my pride, and I was still angry. Then the problems kept coming: our son was struggling at school…
Jonathan: And I became more and more sad and depressed. Our home was filled with nothing but shouting and silence, with each of us living our own separate life.
Amelia: Until my friend Catherine invited us to a Marriage in Love Project retreat. It was there that we realised the real cause of our bad temper, our anger and our crises: we had not allowed God to be with us or at the centre of our marriage…
Jonathan: That’s right. We had been building our marriage, our family and everything around us according to our own ideas.
Amelia: And what joy! What hope we found when we began to let the Lord work within us!
Jonathan: Yes, we started going to the catecheses and Eucharistic Adoration together… And everything gradually began to fall into place, didn’t it?n
Amelia: Now all I can do is thank God for everything—even for the difficulties He allowed, because they helped us to see that without Him there is darkness and sadness, but with Him everything changes!

Mother,
Help us to be lambs, united to Your Son. Praised be the Lord.

The Kingdom of Heaven Has Come. Reflection for married couples. Matthew 10:7-15

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‘You received without paying; give without pay.’

Gospel according to Matthew 10:7–15

At that time: Jesus instructed his Apostles: ‘Proclaim as you go, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay. Acquire no gold or silver or copper for your belts, no bag for your journey, or two tunics or sandals or a staff, for the labourer deserves his food. And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it and stay there until you depart. As you enter the house, greet it. And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town. Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgement for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.’

The Kingdom of Heaven Has Come

Jesus tells us to proclaim that the Kingdom of Heaven has come, but has it truly come? Has it come into our hearts, into our marriage, into our lives? The Kingdom of Heaven is He Himself; it is the Lord who stands at the door and knocks. Have we let Him in? Has He entered into the deepest part of our hearts? He transforms everything, cleanses it, purifies it, raises it up and makes it holy, because He is the Holy One. All we have to do is allow Him to work within us, trust in Him, and He will do the rest. That is why we need neither belt, nor bag, nor gold, silver or copper, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor a walking stick. God alone is enough. He will provide everything we need, both materially and spiritually, so that we may live the Kingdom of Heaven and bring it to others. He needs only our permission to enter our hearts.

Applied to Married Life

(James and Mary, in prayer)
James: Lord, bring peace to my mind and my soul. I live overwhelmed, carrying everything on my shoulders, burdened by countless worries that rob me of Your peace and draw me further and further away from You. Lord, grant me the gift of humility and trust in You. You, my almighty Father, never abandon me, yet at times I live as though I were an orphan. I want to live in complete trust in You. Lord, increase my faith. Amen.
Mary: Lord, our Father, we want to open our hearts wide to You, so that You may reign in our lives and in our family. We want to place our complete trust in You, God of Mercy. Amen.

Mother,

show us the Sacred Heart of Jesus and teach us to place our complete trust in Him. Blessed are You, Mother!

Your Kingdom Has Come! Reflection for married couples. Matthew 10:1-7

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Go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’

Gospel according to Matthew 10:1–7

At that time: Jesus called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction. The names of the twelve Apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
  These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, ‘Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And proclaim as you go, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” ’

The Gospel of the Lord

Your Kingdom Has Come!

My good Jesus, thank You for showing us the way.
You tell us that the Kingdom of Heaven has come! Lord, I believe in You. I know that You are all Love, that You know all things and that nothing is impossible for You. If You say that the Kingdom of Heaven has already come, then it is so. Through Your redemption we can begin to live Your Kingdom here on earth even now. How wonderful, Lord! I want to live it now! But what about all the difficulties and suffering? You promised us the Kingdom, but You never promised that there would be no hardships. The difference is that, with You, difficulties and problems are faced in a different way: they are embraced, and they do not take away Your peace.
So, what must I do to welcome Your Kingdom and begin living it now? First, I must have the humility to recognise that if I am not living the life and marriage that You desire for me, it is not because of others, but because of my own self-love. Second, I must desire to grow in intimacy with You and discover Your infinite Love. I must make daily prayer a priority so that I may come to know You and know myself. And third, I must persevere along this path of prayer and the purification of my self-love through concrete acts.
With complete trust that You will accomplish this, You will fill me more and more with Your Love, so that I may begin to live the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth.

Applied to Married Life:

Luke: Lucy, these words of Christ really make me stop and think. Has His Kingdom truly already come? And what about all the suffering in the world?
Lucy: Christ has redeemed us—He has saved us! Through Him we are children of God! He has given us everything we need to begin living His Kingdom here on earth. The problem is that we don’t let Him. We’re so full of self-love, our own ideas, our need to be right… and that leaves no room for Him to reign in our hearts.
Luke: I have such a deep desire for Him to be the only King of my heart, to guide my whole life. Will you help me? I can’t do it on my own. I find it hard to rise above my problems and to persevere… Jesus is so good, so wonderful, that I want to let Him be the One who leads me.
Lucy: How wonderful it is to hear you say that! Let’s give it everything we’ve got. He is all Love and He knows everything, so let’s seek only to do His Will. If we follow Him, we won’t go wrong. What do you think about starting tomorrow by praying together first thing in the morning and going to Mass? Then we can each make a daily resolution and help one another to keep it. How does that sound?
Luke: You’re amazing! Let’s do it!

Mother,
Please help me to do the will of Your Son, and His will alone, turning away from my own. Blessed and praised be God!

He Had Compassion. Reflection for married couples. Matthew 9:32-38

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Gospel according to Matthew 9:32–38
‘The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few.’
At that time: Behold, a demon-oppressed man who was mute was brought to Jesus. And when the demon had been cast out, the mute man spoke. And the crowds marvelled, saying, ‘Never was anything like this seen in Israel.’ But the Pharisees said, ‘He casts out demons by the prince of demons.’
  And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every infirmity. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest.’

The Gospel of the Lord

He Had Compassion.

What a beautiful and necessary attitude! How many times has compassion been lacking in our marriage? And because of this, we have failed to love our spouse as Christ loves us, abandoning them in their sin.
When we are lost because we have wandered from the path, we do not like to be judged or condemned, but neither do we want to be abandoned. When we feel unworthy, our hearts find rest only when our spouse welcomes us. It is precisely then that we most need to be loved by them and by those we know truly love us. That is what Jesus does: He has compassion on us and redeems us.
If we want to follow Christ, we must do so not only in words but also in deeds, and this should be reflected in the way we live. The crowds followed Jesus because the other “leaders” were not consistent, but He was. We too must imitate Him, showing compassion towards our spouse and loving them as He loves them, helping them to develop their gifts so that they may become all that they are called to be.

Applied to Married Life:

Paul: Bethany, could you help me find my wallet, please? I’m running late for work… I’m sure the children have hidden it. I’ve told you a thousand times that you need to be stricter with them, otherwise they’ll walk all over us. If you did things the way I’ve suggested, I wouldn’t have to leave for work completely stressed out. This can’t go on.
(Later that afternoon, when Paul arrives home)
Bethany: Good afternoon, darling. How are you? How was work? You left a little upset this morning, and I’ve been praying about what I could do to help you because I could see how much you were suffering. So I called the babysitter, and I thought we could go out for dinner, just the two of us, at the little restaurant nearby. We can have a little escape, and you can tell me all about it. What do you think?
Paul: Bethany, I don’t know what to say. You’ve completely disarmed me. I thought you were going to reproach me for the way I spoke to you this morning, for storming out of the house angry and shouting… Instead, I don’t see judgement in your eyes. I see forgiveness. I see compassion. I see the Lord in you because you have made my suffering your own. You’re the best. What would I do without your help?
Bethany: Don’t worry, darling. I’m the one who thanks God for giving me the grace to face this situation with His Heart. So, if it sounds good to you, let’s thank Him together during our little time of prayer before we go to bed, shall we?
Paul: That sounds wonderful! You’ll see—tomorrow, before I leave the house, the very last thing I’ll do is give you a proper goodbye kiss!

Mother,
May we be able to ask the Lord to teach us to have compassion and to love as only He knows how. Glory and praise be to the Lord for ever!

Christ Can Do All Things. Reflection for married couples. Matthew 9:18-26

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‘My daughter has just died, but come, and she will live.’

Gospel according to Matthew 9:18–26

At that time: While Jesus was saying these things, behold, a ruler came in and knelt before him, saying, ‘My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.’ And Jesus rose and followed him, with his disciples. And behold, a woman who had suffered from a discharge of blood for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, for she said to herself, ‘If I only touch his garment, I will be made well.’ Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, ‘Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.’ And instantly the woman was made well. And when Jesus came to the ruler’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion, he said, ‘Go away, for the girl is not dead but sleeping.’ And they laughed at him. But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose. And the report of this went through all that district.

The Gospel of the Lord

Christ Can Do All Things

In marriage there are times when something seems to have “died”: enthusiasm, communication, tenderness, the desire to understand one another, or the hope that things can change. The synagogue leader does not resign himself to the death of his daughter; he goes in search of Jesus because he believes that where human strength comes to an end, He can still act. Husbands and wives are likewise called to turn together to the Lord when they feel that their relationship can go no further. Faith does not remove difficulties, but it opens the door for God to bring back to life what seemed to have been lost. When Jesus arrives at the house, everyone believes the situation is beyond hope and they laugh at Him. A married couple may also hear voices saying, “There’s no fixing this now,” “You’ll never change,” or “It’s impossible to start again.” Jesus invites us to cast out that noise and those defeatist voices in order to enter into a place of faith. Only then does He take the little girl by the hand and raise her up.
Each spouse can ask themselves: What part of our marriage today needs Jesus to take it by the hand and raise it up? Perhaps our communication, our trust, our forgiveness or our shared prayer.
The Good News of this Gospel is that Jesus not only heals individuals; He also restores life to marriages that place themselves in His hands. Wherever husband and wife continue to believe, even if only one of them does, and even if their faith is as small as that of the woman who touched His cloak, there is always the possibility of a new beginning. As Jesus walks towards that house, He stops for a woman who had been suffering for twelve years. It might seem like an unnecessary delay, but to Jesus no one is an interruption. Married life is much the same: often one spouse carries silent wounds that the other barely notices. They need to be heard, welcomed and healed before they can continue the journey. To love also means stopping to care for your spouse’s wounds, even when your own problems seem more urgent.
The woman only touches the edge of Jesus’ cloak. Her action expresses humble trust. In marriage, small gestures of affection, an encouraging word, a sincere apology or a timely embrace can become the beginning of great healing. God often chooses to accomplish great things through small acts.

Applied to Married Life:

Matthew: Lucy, this Gospel has really made me think… What if there’s a “room” in our marriage where we’ve given something up for dead?
Lucy: I’m sure there is… Sometimes we’ve given up on patience, at other times on romance… and occasionally even on talking to each other!
Matthew: Like the synagogue leader, we should bring those things to Jesus instead of deciding they’re beyond hope.
Lucy: And like the woman in the Gospel, trust that one small gesture can begin to change everything. A hug, a kind word, asking for forgiveness…
Matthew: The hard part is silencing the “flute players”, those voices that say, “You’ll never change.”
Lucy: Well then, we’ll just have to throw them out of the house. We make enough noise ourselves as it is.
Matthew: So, where do we begin?
Lucy: By letting Jesus take us by the hand… and by you taking mine a little more often. And if, after taking my hand, you happen to invite me out for an ice cream, I think even romance might come back to life.
Matthew: Of course, my love. The little gestures are always important too. Thank you for reminding me.

Mother,

of Hope, teach us always to turn to Jesus whenever the joy or the strength to love seems to be fading from our marriage. Blessed and praised be Our Lord Jesus Christ.