GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to Luke 11:27-28

While Jesus was speaking,

a woman from the crowd called out and said to him,

“Blessed is the womb that carried you

and the breasts at which you nursed.”

He replied, “Rather, blessed are those

who hear the word of God and observe it.”

The word of the Lord

What Is Better…

It’s good to do good things and say kind words, but today Jesus in the Gospel urges us not to settle for what is merely good, but to seek what is best: to listen to the Word of God and to live it out. And it is precisely those who listen to the Word and put it into practice whom Jesus calls blessed. Like Mary, our Mother—she is “the Blessed One,” not only because she carried Jesus in her womb, but especially because she listened to the Word of God and fulfilled it.

Jesus reminds us again today of the need to listen to God’s Word, which is essential to understanding His plan for us. There is no other way. If we don’t dedicate time to be with the Lord, silencing the noise of the world and paying attention to His voice—seeking that intimacy He desires with each of us, which is forged in prayer—it becomes impossible to hear Him and know His will.

And for us as spouses, nothing is better than conjugal prayer. It is our tool for intimacy with Him and for knowing Him, and it gives us the opportunity to hear what God wants for our marriage. But it’s not enough to just listen to His Word—we must also live it, bring it into our lives, and align everything we do with His will.

That’s why Jesus calls blessed those who—first—listen to the Word of God, and—then—put it into practice. Spouses, this is our path to true blessing, our highway to happiness, because our Father in heaven knows what is best for us, His children.

Applied to Married Life

Susana: Michael, we’ve been invited to a gala dinner at the casino next Saturday. You have no idea how excited I am!

Michael: Susana, isn’t that the same day we have our couples’ group meeting at the parish?

Susana: Oh, you’re right—I hadn’t realised the overlap. But it’s just one time, it won’t hurt to miss a day.

Michael: I’m not so sure. We have a commitment to the community. And besides, those meetings with the other couples have been so good for us—our marriage has grown a lot since we started going.

Susana: Oh Michael, just this once… I’ve dreamed of going to that dinner for years, and now the opportunity has come up.

Michael: Susana, what will that really give you? Look, why don’t we bring it to our conjugal prayer tonight and see what the Lord tells us?

(That night, during their conjugal prayer…)

Susana: Jesus, in this Gospel You tell me that Your Mother is blessed because she listened to the Word of God and lived it. I’m excited about going to that fancy dinner—I don’t see anything wrong with it. But through Michael, You’ve reminded me that it falls on the same day as our couples’ meeting. And in this Gospel, You’ve shown me the importance of hearing Your Word and fulfilling it, of doing Your will. You’ve helped me see that there’s something better than that dinner—because in those group meetings, we’re being formed and deepening our understanding of marriage as You intended it. They help us grow in our marital vocation. And it’s true that every time we go, I come back renewed and excited about our marriage. Lord, thank You for giving me my husband, my suitable help.

Michael: Thank You, Lord, for my suitable help—and for showing us through our prayer what is better.

Mother,

You, who are the Blessed One because you listen to the Word of God and live it, teach us to pray and to have intimacy with God, to listen to His Word, to treasure it in our hearts, and to always say yes to His will. Blessed and glorious are you, Mother! May our Lord be praised forever!

GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to Luke 11:15-26

When Jesus had driven out a demon, some of the crowd said:

“By the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons,

he drives out demons.”

Others, to test him, asked him for a sign from heaven.

But he knew their thoughts and said to them,

“Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste

and house will fall against house.

And if Satan is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand?

For you say that it is by Beelzebul that I drive out demons.

If I, then, drive out demons by Beelzebul,

by whom do your own people drive them out?

Therefore they will be your judges.

But if it is by the finger of God that I drive out demons,

then the Kingdom of God has come upon you.

When a strong man fully armed guards his palace,

his possessions are safe.

But when one stronger than he attacks and overcomes him,

he takes away the armour on which he relied

and distributes the spoils.

Whoever is not with me is against me,

and whoever does not gather with me scatters.

“When an unclean spirit goes out of someone,

it roams through arid regions searching for rest

but, finding none, it says,

‘I shall return to my home from which I came.’

But upon returning, it finds it swept clean and put in order.

Then it goes and brings back seven other spirits

more wicked than itself who move in and dwell there,

and the last condition of that man is worse than the first.”

The word of the Lord

Are We Safe?

We might think that, by being closer to the Lord and having cleansed and ordered our soul, we are already saved. But in this Gospel, the Lord warns us of the danger that lurks—we must remain vigilant, live in a state of grace, frequent the sacraments, and be steadfast in daily prayer. For the devil, it is a great victory to make those closest to the Lord fall.

Applied to Married Life

Peter: Alicia, I’m feeling a bit disheartened. This morning, while getting the kids ready for school, I fell back into the same old habits from before our conversion—anger, shouting… I even threw Jaimy’s backpack to make him hurry up. I feel like everything I’m doing is pointless. What’s the use of praying and going to Mass if I slip up the moment I lose focus?

Alicia: Peter, that was this morning. When did you realise you were doing something wrong?

Peter: Right away. I picked up the backpack, handed it to Jaimy, and asked him to forgive me.

Alicia: And you think prayer and the sacraments aren’t working? Before, your bad mood would’ve lasted all day, and you’d have believed you were completely in the right. I think the devil is tempting you to fall into despair and stop trusting in God.

Peter: You’re absolutely right! And how quickly I fell… Thank goodness I shared this temptation with you—it’s helped me stop the spiral and renew my commitment to keep walking this path.

Alicia: As Father Jhon told us: “Temptation revealed is temptation defeated.” It’s so important to share what we’re going through—we truly are each other’s Suitable Help. And what a beautiful example you gave Javier by asking for forgiveness. The Lord is so good. Now let’s begin our couple’s prayer: “In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit…”

Mother,

Protect us beneath your Mantle from the snares of the evil one. Pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen. Praised be the Lord!

GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to Luke 11:5-13

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Suppose one of you has a friend
to whom he goes at midnight and says,
‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread,
for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey
and I have nothing to offer him,’
and he says in reply from within,
‘Do not bother me; the door has already been locked
and my children and I are already in bed.
I cannot get up to give you anything.’
I tell you, if he does not get up to give him the loaves
because of their friendship,
he will get up to give him whatever he needs
because of his persistence.

“And I tell you, ask and you will receive;
seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks, receives;
and the one who seeks, finds;
and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
What father among you would hand his son a snake
when he asks for a fish?
Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg?
If you then, who are wicked,
know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit
to those who ask him?”

The word of the Lord

Ask with faith and perseverance

How clearly the Lord speaks to us again in the Gospel, and how clumsily we receive it. He tells us, “Ask and you shall receive,” but we could rephrase it as “Pray and persevere.” Prayer is so important for establishing a relationship with the Lord. Pray every day so you can ask God for what you truly need, and persevere so you may receive it. It’s that simple—but we often expect to receive without asking. And when we do receive, we think it’s because of how good we are or the good we believe we’ve done, forgetting that God gives us what we need because He loves us madly.

Marriage is the same way: ask your spouse, and because they love you, they will always give you the best. Let’s not forget—God unites us through the sacrament, and we have the grace to always give the best of ourselves.

Applied to Married Life

Ana: Andrew, how grateful we must be to God for our marriage and for everything He’s doing in us through the grace we’ve received since we began asking for what we truly need

Andrew: Yes, and in such a special way He’s granted it. Just look at the job I finally got after going through so much need and even thinking He wasn’t listening, despite how much I prayed.

Ana: And how well it suited you, and how much you’ve changed through that difficult trial. You went from despair and anger—thinking the Lord wasn’t hearing you—to gentleness and trust, realising that what you truly needed was a pause to reorder your life and redirect your way of thinking.

Andrew: The only thing I regret is how badly I made you feel, and I ask your forgiveness. I’m a new person now. I’ve understood that the Lord only wants the best for me and for us. It took me a long time to see it, but now I can only give thanks at all times.

Ana: How much the Lord loves us, and sometimes it’s hard for us to see it. It’s difficult to understand, but feeling so loved is amazing.

Andrew: We have to celebrate this every day, and today it’s my turn to give it all. Go rest for a while—I’m going to prepare a dinner that’ll make your mouth water.

Ana: I’m so grateful to the Lord for giving you to me, so I can be the happiest wife in the world. I love you.

Mother,

Thank you, Mother, for teaching us to ask for what we need, to seek with perseverance, and to knock always with the certainty of receiving an answer. Praise be to God.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to Luke 11:1-4

Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished,

one of his disciples said to him,

“Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.”

He said to them, “When you pray, say:

Father, hallowed be your name,

your Kingdom come.

Give us each day our daily bread

and forgive us our sins

for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us,

and do not subject us to the final test.”

The word of the Lord

An Open Window

The disciples saw how often Jesus prayed—how He withdrew to quiet places and communed intimately with the Father. They realised that prayer was at the very heart of Jesus’ life, and so they asked Him: “Lord, teach us to pray.” What’s beautiful is that Jesus didn’t give them a method or formula; instead, He began to pray Himself, allowing us to glimpse His precious Heart. Every word of the Our Father is a window into Christ’s intimacy with the Father. The Lord invites us into that same intimacy.

Jesus begins His prayer with a word that changes everything: “Father.” This awakens us to our true identity—we are beloved children. Contemplating this truth renews the heart: I am a child, in need of my Father, dependent on His love, His providence, His mercy, His protection… and so I throw myself into His arms and, like a little child, say: “Father, hold me—I’m tired! Guide me—I’m lost! Help me—I can’t do this alone!” By recognising this truth, we begin a relationship of love and intimacy, and the Our Father becomes the Heart of Jesus beating on our lips.

Applied to Married Life

Alfie: Eleonor, what do you think about praying together with the children before dinner?

Eleonor: I think it’s a wonderful idea—what better way for them to get to know the Lord! Then we can continue with our couple’s prayer, alright?

(Alfie and Eleonor persevered in family and marital prayer. Each evening before dinner, they read the Gospel and, like Jesus, prayed aloud to the Father. Little by little, their children learned to cultivate that intimacy with the Lord, which transformed their lives.)

Mother,

I love imagining your moments of prayer in Nazareth—with Jesus in your arms, repeating in His little voice the psalms and prayers you and Joseph would say.

Holy Family, make our home a school of prayer and love! Thank you, blessed Mother!

GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to Luke 10:38-42

Jesus entered a village

where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him.

She had a sister named Mary

who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.

Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said,

“Lord, do you not care

that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving?

Tell her to help me.”

The Lord said to her in reply,

“Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things.

There is need of only one thing.

Mary has chosen the better part

and it will not be taken from her.”

The word of the Lord

That never ends well.

Because of our fallen nature, we tend to judge others—and so much so, that we even try to get Jesus to take our side. In doing so, we may find ourselves acting like Martha, asking the Lord what He thinks about what our spouse does or doesn’t do, because we believe they should change and do things the way we do them. Martha couldn’t understand why Mary wasn’t focused on what she considered important, and above all, she couldn’t grasp why the Lord seemed unbothered by Mary’s attitude.

Let’s highlight two clear points here:

First, Jesus does not like us accusing one another in any way.

Second, Martha was mistaken about what truly mattered to the Lord.

What is that “better part” Jesus speaks of—the one Mary chose? Intimacy with Him. You may be doing many things, even within the Church—serving couples, teaching catechesis—but before your work, before your mission, He wants you. He desires that deep intimacy with you, the kind no one can take away, forged only through prayer. That intimacy will help us align everything we do with His will, for His glory—not ours.

So, take a moment to ask what Jesus is asking of you, and don’t judge what the other is doing or not doing. That never ends well.

Applied to Married Life

Rose: Oh Charles, I’ve got so much to do I feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day. This morning I was so anxious thinking about everything that I couldn’t even pray—and it’s been like that for a while… I’ve been all over the place. I hadn’t told you.

Charles : That won’t do, my love. Nothing is more important than prayer. In prayer you’ll find the strength and the guidance to do everything you do—always in the Lord. Never postpone that time alone with Him.

Rose: You’re absolutely right. And to make things worse, I’d started thinking that you didn’t really care about all the things we have to do, and that you’re too relaxed about what I consider important… I was judging you… I’m sorry.

Charles: I love you, Rose. I’ll be more attentive in helping you—I know I need to improve there. But without prayer, we’re going nowhere, right?

Rose: Right. All for His Glory.

Charles: So be it!

Mother,

You lived always intimately united to the Heart of your Son. Help me to live in Him, with you. Praised be you forever!