Monthly Archives: October 2026

Let it Be Seen. Reflections for Married Couples. Luke 1: 26-38

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Gospel of the Day

From the Gospel according to Luke 1: 26–38
At that time: The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, ‘Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!’ But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’
  And Mary said to the angel, ‘How will this be, since I am a virgin?’ And the angel answered her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy — the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.’ And Mary said, ‘Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.’ And the angel departed from her.
The Gospel of the Lord
Let it Be Seen

The Annunciation reminds us of something beautiful: God is still looking for hearts and lives in which He can make Himself present.

Mary was at home, in the midst of her simple life and her daily tasks, when God entered her story. The Virgin did not understand how everything was going to happen, and yet God found in her a heart that was available to Him. Through her “yes”, Mary allowed God to make Himself present in the world.

In our marriages too, God is still looking for husbands and wives who are available, where His Love can become flesh.

For this, we need to live in God’s grace and to remain attentive to the concrete moments of each day. God can become present in a conversation when we are patient and kind; in a caress that makes His tenderness present; in a difficulty that we embrace without rebelling; in a decision in which we turn to Him; in forgiveness; in the care we give to our children…

We do not need to wait for something extraordinary to happen. God continues to enter our story, right where we are and just as we are, because nothing is impossible for God.

He can work precisely through our poverty, our limitations and even our wounds, when we place them in His hands.

The Lord wants His Love to become life in us.

Mary teaches us that a heart which is available to God can become His dwelling place. And we too can become a dwelling place where Christ makes His Love visible: His patience, His tenderness, His kindness, His mercy, His forgiveness…

Can my husband or wife find something of this in me today?

Am I allowing the Love of Jesus to become flesh in me?

Brought Down to Married Life

Sara: Have you seen my charger?

David: No! Why do I always have to know where your things are?

Sara: It’s alright, love. I just wondered if you’d seen it. I’ve been looking for it for a while.

David: Well, look a bit harder. I can’t keep track of everything.

Sara: Okay. You carry on tidying up and I’ll keep looking. Have you eaten anything?

David: No.

Sara: I’ll make you something while I’m looking… Then I’ll help you with that.

David: I’m sorry. I’ve had an awful day.

Sara: I thought you might have. Come on, don’t worry. Give me a kiss!

David: Thank you, Sara. Today I saw Jesus in you.

Prayer

Mother,

How beautiful it would be if, when our spouse looked at us, they could feel just a little closer to Jesus.

The Better part. Reflections for Married Couples. Luke 10: 38-42

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Gospel of the Day

From the Gospel according to Luke 10: 38-42
At that time: Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.’ But the Lord answered her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.’
 
The Gospel of the Lord
 
The Better Part

Mary was sitting at Jesus’ feet, listening to His Word. And the Lord Himself declares that what she had chosen was the one thing necessary, the better part, which no one could take away from her.

There is nothing more necessary than remaining at Jesus’ feet. Nothing greater than listening to His voice. Nothing more beautiful than contemplating the way He looks at you and discovering, in that gaze, the love with which you have been loved from all eternity; contemplating the Heart that loved you first.

I like to imagine that scene: how would Mary have looked at Jesus? How would she have drunk in every one of His words, knowing that before her stood the One who is Life itself? She would not have listened simply to know more, but to love more.

And how would Jesus have looked at that woman who, from the moment He entered her home, had surrendered herself at His feet? Mary had chosen the better part. But I would almost dare to say that, for Jesus too, it was a precious part: to have there a heart that wanted simply to be with Him, a soul that did not come first to ask Him for anything, but simply to look at Him, listen to Him and love Him.

How deeply Christ thirsts for us to remain with Him! And how much we need it ourselves!

Perhaps we busy ourselves trying to do many things for Jesus and forget that, before our works, He wants our hearts. We want to rush out to love, but how can we love with His Love if we have not first remained close to Him, the source of true love?

We learn to love at Jesus’ feet. It is there that we allow His Word to illuminate our hearts, enabling us to see our judgements, our fears and our self-love.

Let us be with Him. Let us remain in His Heart, and from there, with Him, let us go wherever He sends us.

Brought Down to Married Life

Jack: I’m feeling anxious, Em. I can’t take it any more. We never stop.

Emily: It’s true that we always have so much to do, and I get overwhelmed too. But honestly, I don’t think the problem is what we do, but what we don’t do.

Jack: What do you mean?

Emily: Well, if before doing everything we do, we spent time with the Lord in prayer, we wouldn’t be the way we are. The problem isn’t that we do too many things; it’s that we don’t pray.

Jack: Ah, so you’re reducing everything to that!

Emily: Not me. Jesus says it. Look at all these phrases from the Gospel that I wrote down the other day when I was thinking about this: “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” “Apart from Me you can do nothing.” “And you refuse to come to Me that you may have life!” “Let anyone who is thirsty come to Me and drink.”

That’s it. And yet we still think that saying, “Lord, help me!” while I’m driving the car counts as having prayed… No, Jack, it doesn’t.

Jack: Well then, what do we do?

Emily: We need to get serious about being faithful and persevering in prayer. Our mentors have told us a thousand times, and yet we’re so stubborn that we still think we can manage on our own. And above all, just think of what we’re missing out on! The best thing of all: a life with Him!

Jack: You’re right, Em. What can I say?

Emily: Well then, tell me you love me!

Jack: Oh, what would I do without you?

Prayer

Mother,

Teach us to remain together at the feet of Jesus, to listen to His Word with hunger, and to rise from prayer ready to put it into practice, giving ourselves to one another as Jesus gave Himself for His Bride, the Church.

Beaten but not defeated. Reflections for Married Couples. Luke 10: 25-37

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Gospel of the day Luke 10: 25 – 37

At that time: Behold, a lawyer stood up to put Jesus to the test, saying, ‘Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?’ He said to him, ‘What is written in the Law? How do you read it?’ And he answered, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbour as yourself.’ And he said to him, ‘You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.’
  But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbour?’ Jesus replied, ‘A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, “Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.” Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbour to the man who fell among the robbers?’ He said, ‘The one who showed him mercy.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘You go, and do likewise.’

 

The Gospel of the Lord

 

Beaten but not defeated

To attain eternal life, the Lord leads us to the Scriptures, showing us how we ought to love God and our neighbour. Jesus takes it a step further and clarifies who our neighbour truly is: the one who feels mercy and puts it into action. In marriage, our neighbour is right there at home—someone to love in every circumstance. We may not find our spouse battered by bandits, but we will certainly find him wounded by sin, when temptation has overcome him and his weakness has left him crushed. In that moment, which may seem the least deserved, is precisely when he most needs our love. Will we walk past? Or even cause further harm? Only by the Grace of God can we grow in mercy. Let us ask for the Grace of our Sacrament, so that we may be a fitting help to that wounded heart.

 

Brought Down to Married Life

Rachel: Louis, I want to ask your forgiveness. This afternoon I was nervous and I treated you badly—I shouted at you and lost my temper. It felt like I wasn’t even in control of myself. And I want to thank you, because you received me with kindness, and that helped me calm down and regain control.

Louis: Honestly, I could see pure anger in your eyes—it was even a bit frightening. You must have been feeling really overwhelmed.

Rachel: I love you! There I was, shouting at you, and you were thinking about me. How do you do that?

Louis: By the Grace of God. I also remembered the advice from our marriage mentor—not to focus on myself, but to imagine you lying wounded on the road, like in the parable of the Good Samaritan, in need of care.

Rachel: I thank God for you, my love.

 

Mother,

Thank you for showing us the path of conjugal charity. Blessed are you forever. Amen.

Cornerstone – Reflection for married couples – Matthew 21:33-43

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From the Gospel according to Matthew 21:33-43

Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people:
“Hear another parable.
There was a landowner who planted a vineyard,
put a hedge around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a tower. 
Then he leased it to tenants and went on a journey.
When vintage time drew near,
he sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his produce. 
But the tenants seized the servants and one they beat,
another they killed, and a third they stoned. 
Again he sent other servants, more numerous than the first ones,
but they treated them in the same way. 
Finally, he sent his son to them, thinking,
‘They will respect my son.’
But when the tenants saw the son, they said to one another,
‘This is the heir.
Come, let us kill him and acquire his inheritance.’
They seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. 
What will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes?”
They answered him,
“He will put those wretched men to a wretched death
and lease his vineyard to other tenants
who will give him the produce at the proper times.” 
Jesus said to them, “Did you never read in the Scriptures:
The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
by the Lord has this been done,
and it is wonderful in our eyes?
Therefore, I say to you,
the kingdom of God will be taken away from you
and given to a people that will produce its fruit.”

Cornerstone

Today You show us that You are the stone that sustains us, Lord. For so long we were unaware of this reality, and how often, even now that we know this truth about our marriage, we cast it aside. We want to do things our own way, according to our own ideas, without taking into account God’s will for each of us and for our marriage, rejecting Your plans.

But we know that You are the “cornerstone” of our marriage, and that without You everything we have built falls apart. That is why, Lord, we never stop turning to You. When we fall, we ask You to hold us up once again, and You, who are so good, lift us up, forgive us and once again take Your place at the centre of our lives.

May we never cast You aside. May You always be our support, our cornerstone, the stone that holds up the building of our marriage and our family. Thank You, Lord, for never abandoning us.

Brought into Married Life:

Alice: James, sometimes I wonder what would have become of us if we had never come to know the Lord.

James: I’m sure we would have been completely lost, because our marriage was heading straight towards the edge of a cliff.

Alice: Yes, the Lord rescued us, and He continues to rescue us every day.

James: You’re right, because after saving us from the cliff and bringing Proyecto Amor Conyugal into our lives, we learnt to place Him at the centre of our marriage, at the centre of our home.

Alice: Yes, it was like the lifebuoy the Lord threw to us: through the catechesis, the Eucharist, Adoration, the Sacrament of Reconciliation and so many married couples walking beside us. We have learnt that what truly matters is remaining in a state of grace and keeping the Lord always present in our lives.

James: Yes. He is like the most important part of a building, just as the Gospel says: the cornerstone of our “building”, of our marriage and our family.

Alice: How wonderful, James! Let’s say our prayer, beginning by thanking God for this great gift that is Proyecto Amor Conyugal.

Mother,

Thank you for showing us who truly holds the reins of our lives, our marriage and our family.

Glory be to God!

Eternal joy – Reflection for married couples – Luke 10:17-24

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From the Gospel according to Luke 10:17–24

The seventy-two disciples returned rejoicing and said to Jesus,
“Lord, even the demons are subject to us because of your name.”
Jesus said, “I have observed Satan fall like lightning from the sky.
Behold, I have given you the power
‘to tread upon serpents’ and scorpions
and upon the full force of the enemy
and nothing will harm you.
Nevertheless, do not rejoice because the spirits are subject to you,
but rejoice because your names are written in heaven.

”At that very moment he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said,
“I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
for although you have hidden these things
from the wise and the learned
you have revealed them to the childlike.
Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.
All things have been handed over to me by my Father.
No one knows who the Son is except the Father,
and who the Father is except the Son
and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.”

Turning to the disciples in private he said,
“Blessed are the eyes that see what you see.
For I say to you,
many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.”

Eternal Joy

Today, Jesus, You lead us into a deeper mystery of our vocation and reveal to us a great truth: “our names are written in heaven”. What greater certainty could we have?

Our name carries with it our story, our wounds, our hopes, our desires, our littleness and our vulnerability. Everything is known and loved by You, because we are held within Your Heart.

And this is the root of our true joy. A joy that does not depend on our successes, our achievements or everything going well for us. Nor does it disappear when we fall, when we are wounded or when we carry our crosses. Because, above all, we have the certainty that we are deeply loved by You.

And from that love, You invite us to live with trust, with a simple heart open to Your will, learning each day to love as You love.

Lord, may our joy not be found in what we achieve, but in knowing that we are loved by You. May this certainty sustain our lives and help us to live with grateful, humble and trusting hearts, learning each day to love with Your own Heart.

Brought into Married Life:

Lucy: Henry, what a shame… After preparing the catechesis with such enthusiasm, only three married couples came…

Henry: Yes, but perhaps we shouldn’t focus only on the numbers. What if the Lord wanted something else, Lucy?

Lucy: That’s true. While we were preparing it, we prayed together, shared so much, listened to one another and discovered things in our marriage that needed to change.

Henry: Exactly. We thought we were preparing something for others, but the Lord was working in us.

Lucy: Then it’s clear, Henry, that we cannot measure God’s work only by the results we can see.

Henry: No. We want to see everything straight away, but God works little by little and in silence.

Lucy: Then let’s keep trusting Him and doing our part.

Henry: Exactly, Lucy. May our joy not come from filling a room, but from continuing to walk together, trusting in Him and knowing that our names are written in heaven.

Mother,

Help us to trust in Your Son and not to measure His work according to our own standards.

Blessed and praised be the Lord for ever.