Gospel of the Day

Gospel of the Day

From the Gospel according to John

1:29-34

John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him and said,
“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.
He is the one of whom I said,
‘A man is coming after me who ranks ahead of me
because he existed before me.’
I did not know him,
but the reason why I came baptizing with water
was that he might be made known to Israel.”
John testified further, saying,
“I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from the sky
and remain upon him.
I did not know him,
but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me,
‘On whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain,
he is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’
Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God.”

Recognising Him

Spouses are called to be witnesses of God’s Love through our marriage. On the day of our wedding, God made a covenant of Love with us, and the Holy Spirit made us one! This is truly astonishing. The Holy Spirit is among us; He dwells in my heart and in my spouse’s heart, and we make Him present in every act of self-giving and welcoming between husband and wife. Yet it can happen that the concerns and busyness of daily life, urgent tasks, the noise of the world, prevent us from being aware of this truth, and we fail to recognise Him.

Today we look at the attitude and disposition of John: doing the will of God, baptising with water until the Messiah was revealed, and remaining attentive to the signs. This allowed him to identify the Holy Spirit in the dove that descended upon Jesus, and thus to recognise Him as the Lamb of God. Only then did he come to know the divine identity of his cousin. And once he recognised Him as the Messiah who was to come, he could no longer remain silent — bearing witness became an urgent necessity that sprang from the depths of his being, and which eventually led him to become the first martyr in defence of the truth of marriage.

And what about us? Are we attentive to recognising the signs of the Holy Spirit in our life, in our spouse? For in order to recognise God in His mediations, we must be disposed to do so: to cultivate inner silence, to live a life of prayer, to fulfil the will of God… to be attentive, like John.

Spouses, if we are attentive, we will see the Holy Spirit at work in us every day. And if we live in His grace, we will become a channel through which that Spirit reaches our spouse. Only then will I be able to recognise God in my spouse — in my fitting help, in the one who administers to me the grace of our sacrament. And this is how we will give true witness to the Love of God.

Brought into Married Life:

(James and Lucy had attended a Marital Love Project retreat a few months ago. There they had experienced God’s Love between them and renewed the covenant of their sacrament.)

Lucy: James, every time I remember what we lived at the retreat, I get emotional. The Holy Spirit is among us! And it’s true — I can really feel it…

James: Yes, I do too. Though sometimes I get so caught up in work and problems that I seem to forget.

Lucy: Well, the truth is that it happens to me as well sometimes… but the important thing is that now we know the Holy Spirit is among us. What we need to do is remember it every day. Shall we do that? It will help us keep the Holy Spirit more present.

James: All right — we can remind each other in the morning, before starting the day…

Lucy: Yes, brilliant! Every morning, when I wake up, after thanking God for a new day with Him and by your side, I’ll give you a kiss and, looking into your eyes, I’ll ask the Holy Spirit to help me stay attentive throughout the day, to recognise Him in you and in the events of the day, through His signs…

James: And I also want to be attentive and ready to recognise Him in you, my wife. Come, let us pray together: Holy Spirit — (now both together) — come each day into our hearts; teach us and urge us to live our marital love according to the will of the Father…

Lucy: I love it… this really is starting the day with the Holy Spirit! How happy I am to have you by my side!

Mother,

Teach us and help us always to be attentive, to recognise God as you did, and to say Yes to God’s plan as you did, even when we do not understand it. Blessed and glorious are you, Mother! May the Lord be praised for ever!

From the Gospel according to John 1:19-28

This is the testimony of John.
When the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to him
to ask him, “Who are you?”
he admitted and did not deny it, but admitted,
“I am not the Christ.”
So they asked him,
“What are you then? Are you Elijah?”
And he said, “I am not.”
“Are you the Prophet?”
He answered, “No.”
So they said to him,
“Who are you, so we can give an answer to those who sent us?
What do you have to say for yourself?”
He said:
“I am the voice of one crying out in the desert,
‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’
as Isaiah the prophet said.”
Some Pharisees were also sent.
They asked him,
“Why then do you baptize
if you are not the Christ or Elijah or the Prophet?”
John answered them,
“I baptize with water;
but there is one among you whom you do not recognize,
the one who is coming after me,
whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.”
This happened in Bethany across the Jordan,
where John was baptizing.

Don’t deceive yourself: Jesus Is God

Without a doubt, what most moves hearts to draw near and come to know the Lord is a strong and steadfast witness of faith. We can speak at length and very well, know Sacred Scripture and the Tradition of our Church, and be excellent communicators. But when all this becomes visible in our daily life — in the family, at work, in traffic jams, in the supermarket queue — that is when we are truly bearing witness that Jesus is our God and that we follow His Way. And this attracts people like honey attracts bees.

Brought into Married Life:

Francis: The children are finally asleep — they fell fast asleep by the second page of the story. Poor things, they were exhausted. What a wonderful day out in the countryside we’ve had.

Margaret: Absolutely — it’s been such a beautiful day. How I love being with the Marital Love Project family! It’s amazing — the conversations, our moments of prayer, sharing Sunday Mass together. I felt like saying: How good it is to be here! Let us put up three tents!

Francis: (laughing) I felt exactly the same! It’s wonderful to see the beautiful family Our Lady has been forming.

Margaret: You’ll see the difference tomorrow when I go back to work — the reproaches, the bad moods… that’s when I really struggle to act with mercy and kindness.

Francis: But that is precisely where the Lord has placed you to bear witness. Think how much those families need to hear the Good News of the Gospel.

Margaret: You’re absolutely right. It’s in that dry and stony ground where witness is most needed. Thank you for shedding light on this moment — it will make it easier for me to get up early tomorrow. Come here, let’s begin our spousal prayer. I love you so much, Francis!

Francis: And I love you, Margaret. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit…

Mother,

Help us to carry the Good News of the Gospel and to bear witness to our faith. May we not be afraid, ashamed, or held back by human respect. We want to be courageous, like you! Sacred Heart of Jesus, I trust in You. Immaculate Heart of Mary, be the salvation of my soul.

From the Gospel according to Luke 2:16-21

The shepherds went in haste to Bethlehem and found Mary and Joseph,
and the infant lying in the manger.
When they saw this,
they made known the message
that had been told them about this child.
All who heard it were amazed
by what had been told them by the shepherds.
And Mary kept all these things,
reflecting on them in her heart.
Then the shepherds returned,
glorifying and praising God
for all they had heard and seen,
just as it had been told to them.

When eight days were completed for his circumcision,
he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel
before he was conceived in the womb.

In the Heart

Happy New Year! Today a new year begins, and what better way to start it than hand in hand with the Virgin Mary, celebrating her Divine Motherhood.

God has just been born in Bethlehem. Let us hurry there like the shepherds, with poor and humble hearts, to adore Him and glorify Him, with the firm intention of continuing to do so every day of the new year that is beginning.

Let us always turn to our Mother, who kept all things in her Immaculate Heart, and learn from her to look upon our spouse with a welcoming gaze — embracing them in everything, resisting the temptation to reject their differences, and keeping in our heart what we do not understand, so as to ponder the greatness of our sacrament, which always leads us to Jesus.

Brought into Married Life:

Andrew: Mary, you seem a bit serious — has something happened?

Mary: Yes, Andrew. I’m a little upset by the comments your siblings made yesterday.

Andrew: Don’t take it to heart. They said things that weren’t entirely true.

Mary: I know, but they can’t just let themselves go and exaggerate things, taking them out of context.

Andrew: I know — they went too far. But we can’t hold it against them. I’ve already spoken to them; they realised it and apologised. And honestly, it didn’t bother me that much. It only gives me reason to pray a bit more for them, so that it doesn’t happen again.

Mary: Andrew, you’re wonderful. You have such a big heart. Despite what they said about you, you didn’t hold it against them. I feel very grateful to be your wife.

Andrew: Don’t exaggerate. I can’t get angry over things that aren’t true. Besides, if I’d defended myself, I would only have given them more reason to carry on. Sometimes it’s better to keep quiet and let things pass without giving them importance.

Mary: You’re right. Many times it’s better to keep these things in our heart and not dwell on them. Criticising and judging is the easy option.

Andrew: Then let’s smile and carry on celebrating Christmas — that’s what matters most right now.

Mother,

Help us to place in our heart what we do not understand, to offer it for our spouse and to lay it at the feet of your Son in the manger. Glory and praise be to God who has been born in Bethlehem.