Monthly Archives: October 2026

Deny Him or bear witness to Him.. Reflection for married couples. Luke 12:8-12

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From the Gospel according to Luke 12:8-12

At that time: Jesus said to his disciples, ‘And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God, but the one who denies me before men, will be denied before the angels of God. And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.’

Deny Him or bear witness to Him.

Husbands and wives, today Jesus invites us to ask ourselves whether He truly occupies the centre of our hearts and our lives. Are we living out the covenant we once made with Him, or are we denying Him through the way we love one another? We may say that we believe in Him, but it is in the way we love each other every day that we reveal whether we are living out the covenant we once made with Him. When I close my heart to my spouse, struggle to forgive or stop giving of myself, my life ceases to reflect the love of Christ. On the other hand, when I welcome my spouse, remain by their side and seek communion, even in difficult moments, our marriage becomes a living witness to Jesus. And how wonderful it is that Jesus reminds us today that we do not have to do this alone or rely solely on our own strength! The Holy Spirit, who dwells within us through the grace of the Sacrament, gradually teaches us how to look at one another, how to listen, what to say and how to love. If we allow ourselves to be guided by Him, even our difficulties can help us encounter Christ anew, purify our love and renew our gift of ourselves.

Brought into married life:

Isaac: Darling, I’m feeling overwhelmed about the catechesis we’re due to give to the group this month. I feel as though it all depends on me, and I don’t know how to get the message across.
Rebecca: Isaac, what if we stopped worrying so much about what we need to say and asked ourselves what the Lord wants to do in us and in the other married couples?
Isaac: I know, but I’m afraid my mind will go blank…
Rebecca: Look, Isaac, we’re not going there as experts. We’re going as a married couple trying to live out what God proposes to us through the catecheses of St John Paul II.
Isaac: I know, but… what if we can’t find the right words?
Rebecca: Isaac, don’t worry about how or what you’re going to say. The Holy Spirit will teach us at that very moment what we need to say. Let’s prepare, pray and trust in Him.
Isaac: So it’s not about getting everything perfect…
Rebecca: Exactly. We offer our hearts, and the Lord provides the grace.
Isaac: Thank you, Rebecca. It’s reassuring to realise that it doesn’t all depend on us.
Rebecca: Exactly… let’s prepare, pray and trust in the Holy Spirit.
Isaac: So… less worrying and more trusting.
Rebecca: And more prayer, darling.

Mother,

Make us docile to the Holy Spirit and faithful to Jesus. Accompany us so that our marriage may be a witness to His love. Blessed and praised be the Lord for ever!

Without masks. Reflection for married couples. Luke 12:1-7

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From the Gospel according to  Luke 12:1–7

At that time: When so many thousands of the people had gathered together that they were trampling one another, Jesus began to say to his disciples first, ‘Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops.
  ‘I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him! Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.’

Without masks

Today, Jesus warns us against hypocrisy, the leaven that gradually spreads through our hearts and leads us to pretend to be something we are not, presenting an image of ourselves that does not reflect who we truly are. But no mask can hide us from God: He knows our hearts, our intentions and our weaknesses, too.

And the same happens in marriage. We often want our spouse to see the best version of ourselves, so we hide the things we find difficult to acknowledge: our selfishness, our pride, our anger, our insecurities… We may pretend that everything is fine while resentment builds up inside us, and we often struggle to say: “I was wrong”, “Please forgive me”, “I’m hurting” or “I need your help”. We are afraid of showing our weaknesses, of being judged by the other person, or of having our wounds used against us.
Yet we are called to something much greater. We are called to a shared intimacy, to live in communion (a common union) with one another and with Christ. And this intimacy begins to grow when we stop protecting our image and start opening our hearts. It is not about saying everything to each other without charity, but about learning to speak with humility and love.

Jesus invites us not to be afraid. Sometimes we find it difficult to take that first step towards asking for forgiveness, admitting a mistake or approaching our spouse after an argument. But we can take that step, trusting that God will sustain us. We cannot control our spouse’s response, but we can choose to love and act in truth.

Am I living my marriage from a place of trust or fear? Am I trying to be right or to build unity? Do I hide my weaknesses, or do I allow God to transform them?

Bringing it into Married Life:

Yvonne: Hello, darling, I’m home! What a day I’ve had! Haven’t you made anything for dinner? I’m absolutely exhausted! It feels as though I have to think of everything!
James: Well, I’ve come home tired too! It’s as though what I do never counts.
Yvonne: Fine, I’ll sort it out again! You just stay on the sofa, as usual!
James (thinking): I think I’ll pray an Our Father and ask the Lord for help so that this doesn’t turn into another argument… Our Father, who art in heaven…
James: I’m sorry, darling. I got defensive. The truth is, I’m exhausted, and I sat down for a moment without thinking that you needed a rest too.
Yvonne: And I’m sorry for speaking to you like that. I’m feeling overwhelmed, and instead of telling you I need help, I take it out on you.
James: We need to learn to share the light the Lord gives us, to share what is in our hearts, without hiding behind our anger or always wanting to be right.
Yvonne: Yes. Today, Jesus tells us not to be afraid. I want to rely on you more and stop assuming that I have to manage everything on my own.
James: And I want to stop making excuses and learn to listen to you. Let’s make dinner together.

Mother, 
Help us to build that shared intimacy to which we are called as husband and wife. Praise be to the Lord!

Jesus warns us. Reflection for married couples. Luke 11:47-54

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From the Gospel according to Luke 11:47-54
At that time: Jesus said, ‘Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets whom your fathers killed. So you are witnesses and you consent to the deeds of your fathers, for they killed them, and you build their tombs. Therefore also the Wisdom of God said, “I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute”, so that the blood of all the prophets, shed from the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generation, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it will be required of this generation. Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering.’
  As he went away from there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to press him hard and to provoke him to speak about many things, lying in wait for him, to catch him in something he might say.
Jesus warns us.

Today, out of love for us, Jesus warns us: “Yes, I tell you, this generation will be held to account.” Woe to you who do not enter yourselves and prevent others from entering!
Today is a day for me to examine myself: What is there in my heart and in my behaviour that prevents me from entering the Kingdom of Heaven and living in a state of grace? What makes it difficult or prevents my husband and children from entering, too?
Perhaps it is my desire to control everything and always be right, my outbursts of anger, my thoughtlessness and harsh manner. Perhaps it is my temperament, which, instead of welcoming and encouraging others, leaves them feeling disheartened and sad.
Thank You, Lord, for waking me up! Blessed are You! How deeply You love me!

Brought into married Life:

(That evening, during their prayer together as husband and wife.)

George: Catherine, please forgive me. I’ve been unbearable today, in a bad mood and snapping at the slightest thing. I’ve spent the whole day dwelling on the “nasty little mess” in my heart. And what hurts me most is that I’ve made you feel bad, too.
Catherine: George, yes, it’s been a difficult day. And instead of welcoming you in your weakness and sin, I’ve added my own sin to yours. We’ve hurt each other, and we’ve hurt the Lord, too.
George: I want to help you experience a foretaste of Heaven here in our home, with the two of us united to the Lord. How deeply I long for that intimacy between the three of us!
Catherine: What a wonderful gift our Sacrament of Marriage is! How Jesus rescues us, time and time again.
George: Tomorrow, I’ll ask the children to forgive me, because I exasperated them today.
Catherine: My dear husband, you have such a beautiful heart.

Mother,


With you, my soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour.

Praise be to the Lord!

Teach me to love. Reflection for married couples. Luke 11:42-46

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From the Gospel according to Luke 11:42-46
At that time: Jesus said, ‘But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every herb, and neglect justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seat in the synagogues and greetings in the market-places. Woe to you! For you are like unmarked graves, and people walk over them without knowing it.’
  One of the lawyers answered him, ‘Teacher, in saying these things you insult us also.’ And he said, ‘Woe to you lawyers also! For you load people with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers.’
Teach me to love

My good Jesus, when I hear these words of yours, so harsh and challenging, at first I don’t feel that they apply to me. I’m not like that, I tell myself. But when I look deeper, when I truly listen, this question rises in my heart: what are You trying to tell me here, Jesus?
And suddenly, I see that part of me that does what is expected, that apparently does the right thing, yet deep down “overlooks the love of God”. That part of me that is unable to love truly, to love in the midst of weakness, to love when I don’t like the way I am treated…
I also see that part of me that still likes to have the best seats, to be praised for what I do well. Forgetting that whatever I do well is thanks to You. You alone deserve my thanks for it. I must not take the credit for my successes, because without you, Lord, I can do nothing. Without you, I make a mess of things.
And I see that part of me that places unbearable burdens on others. I make demands of my wife, my children… taking for granted that they should have gifts you may not have given them. I forget all my own weaknesses and shortcomings, and take for granted, without thanking you, the gifts you have given me.

Lord, help me to give of myself without demanding anything and without judging. Teach me to love as you do.

Brought into married life:

Mary: John, this is so unfair! We’re late again because of you! I’m working myself to the bone, and what have you done?
John: But I haven’t stopped for a second! And don’t speak to me like that in front of the children!
Mary: You don’t help me at all!
(That evening, after their prayer together as husband and wife.)
Mary: John, please forgive me. I was so unfair to you this morning. I gave in to temptation. I spoke terribly to you and didn’t put myself in your shoes…
John: Thank you, Mary. I really do try to be as efficient as possible at times like that. But I don’t come anywhere near doing everything you do. Forgive me; I’m so clumsy.
Mary: You’re so sweet! You have such a big heart. I expect you to do the things that come easily to me, and I forget that what I need to do is learn from your patience and kindness. The Lord has shown me that, in those moments, I should turn to you for help and look to you as an example of how to do things patiently and gently. And if we arrive a little late, at least we’ll have done so with love. That’s a thousand times better!
John: Mary, thank you so much for everything. I love you so much.
Mary: And I love you just as much! Thank goodness we persevere in prayer. Otherwise, we wouldn’t see any of this.

Mother,

Help me to give myself completely, to lay down my life without asking for anything in return. As you do, and as your Son does.

Blessed and praised be God, who loves us with infinite love!

A clear gaze. Reflection for married couples. Luke 11:37-41

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From the Gospel according to Luke 11:37-41
At that time: While Jesus was speaking, a Pharisee asked him to dine with him, so he went in and reclined at table. The Pharisee was astonished to see that he did not first wash before dinner. And the Lord said to him, ‘Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. You fools! Did not he who made the outside make the inside also? But give as alms those things that are within, and behold, everything is clean for you.’
A clear gaze

While dating, we looked at our future spouse with admiration. We discovered their virtues, marvelled at their gifts, and almost everything about them seemed beautiful to us. But, as time goes by, our sin can gradually cloud that vision. We stop admiring and start judging, stop giving thanks and start making demands, until we end up seeing their faults before we see the gift God has given us.

Today, the Lord invites us not to content ourselves with cleaning “the outside”, trying to change the other person so that they fit our expectations. He invites us to look within, to purify our own hearts and, from there, recover a clear gaze.

“Give alms from what is within,” Jesus tells us. Let us therefore offer the gifts we carry within us, which the Lord has given us: our understanding, our tenderness, our forgiveness… and let us stop making demands and begin to give of ourselves.

Brought into married life:

Andrew: Darling, remember, we’re leaving for dinner in five minutes!
Beth: Andrew, you know I like to look my best when we go out. I’m not sure five minutes will be enough time to put my make-up on.
Andrew: I don’t know why you bother with make-up when you’re already so beautiful. You don’t need to put all that stuff on!
Beth: I love you, darling, but wrinkles have to be concealed. I’m not getting any younger…
Andrew: Well, I’ll tell you something: your inner beauty is so great that it shines through on the outside. I’m telling you that as your husband, but other people notice it too—and I’m not just paying you a compliment!
Beth: Come on, Andrew, stop it or you’ll make me vain, and that’s not a good thing.
Andrew: Sorry if I’m embarrassing you, but I can see how you nurture your inner life, how you try to stay close to the Lord, and that eventually shines through on the outside.
Beth: Thank you, darling… the credit belongs to the Lord. The closer we are to Him, the more we can reflect His beauty. You help me so much to draw closer to Him, too.

Mother,

help us to live through Him, with Him and in Him.

Blessed and praised be God for ever!