Gospel of the day Luke 10: 25 – 37

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.

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!

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.

From the Gospel according to Matthew 18:1–5, 10

The disciples approached Jesus and said,
“Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?”
He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said,
“Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children,
you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven.
Whoever humbles himself like this child
is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.
And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me.

“See that you do not despise one of these little ones,
for I say to you that their angels in heaven
always look upon the face of my heavenly Father.”

Little

When the disciples ask the Lord who is the greatest, they probably expect Him to speak about greatness, power or recognition. But the Lord places a child in their midst and completely changes their perspective: in the Kingdom of God, the greatest is the one who makes himself small.

To make ourselves small means recognising that we need God and also others (who are a means through which God reaches us), especially our spouse. A child does not try to control everything; rather, he trusts his father and is willing to be taught.

In marriage, we often want to be “the most important”: to be right, to have the other person acknowledge our efforts, to have things done our way… And without even realising it, we enter into a struggle over who is more in the right.

Today, the Lord shows us a different path: to make ourselves small before our spouse. The way forward is to allow humility towards our spouse to reign in our heart, rather than self-love.

Am I able to ask for forgiveness without waiting for the other person to do so first? Can I admit when I am wrong? Can I listen without already preparing my reply? When one of us makes ourselves small out of love, we do not lose; quite the opposite, we gain: we grow in humility and our marriage gains too, because it is strengthened.

True greatness lies in the simple things we do each day with our spouse in mind: listening to them, helping them, asking about their day… In this way, we allow Christ, in His humility, to reign between us.

Brought into Married Life:

Nathan: Maggie, could you pick the children up from school today? I’m really pushed for time.

Maggie: Nathan, I’ve got loads on as well… I took them to school this morning, I’ve done the shopping, and I still need to get dinner ready.

Nathan: I know, but I have to finish this before six.

Maggie: Nathan, it always seems as though what you have to do is more urgent or more important than what I have to do…

Nathan: Yes, I’m sorry. You’re right. I’m only thinking about what I need and not about what you need.

Maggie: No, you forgive me. I could make myself small now too, instead of getting into the whole “I do more than you” argument.

Nathan: All right, darling… How about I pick the children up today while you get ahead with dinner?

Maggie: That sounds good. And this evening, if you’re really tired, I’ll take care of the children’s baths.

Nathan: I love that! See? In the end, it wasn’t about who was right, but about who was willing to make themselves small out of love for the other.

Maggie: Nathan, now you really are right!

Mother,

Help us to be like children: simple, humble and trusting in our Father.

Praised be the Lord!

From the Gospel according to Luke 10:1-12

Jesus appointed seventy-two other disciples
whom he sent ahead of him in pairs
to every town and place he intended to visit.
He said to them,
“The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;
so ask the master of the harvest
to send out laborers for his harvest.
Go on your way;
behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves.
Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals;
and greet no one along the way.
Into whatever house you enter, first say,
‘Peace to this household.’
If a peaceful person lives there,
your peace will rest on him;
but if not, it will return to you.
Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you,
for the laborer deserves his payment.
Do not move about from one house to another.
Whatever town you enter and they welcome you,
eat what is set before you,
cure the sick in it and say to them,
‘The Kingdom of God is at hand for you.’
Whatever town you enter and they do not receive you,
go out into the streets and say,
‘The dust of your town that clings to our feet,
even that we shake off against you.’
Yet know this: the Kingdom of God is at hand.
I tell you, 
it will be more tolerable for Sodom on that day 
than for that town.”

Set Out on the Way!

“Set out on the way,” the Lord tells us. Husbands and wives, set out on the way and proclaim My Kingdom! Proclaim that it is possible to live the Kingdom of God in this life. It means renouncing my selfishness, my pride, my own way of thinking and the ways of the world, and living life and marriage as God intended.

At times, we may feel like sheep among wolves, as though we are going against the current, and we may be afraid. But if God is with us, we have nothing to fear. Let us trust in Him!

Let us remain firm in the Faith, live in a state of grace and turn to His Sacred Heart. There we will find strength and consolation. God alone is enough!

Brought into Married Life:

Charlotte: Luke, once again we’re going against the current. Mary told me that all her friends are going to a party. She explained it to me, and to be honest, I don’t think it would be wise for our daughter to go.

Luke: Have you explained our reasons to her?

Charlotte: Yes, and for now she has accepted them. You know that, thanks be to God, she is docile. She loves God and wants to live her Faith. But the world has such a strong influence, and it frightens me.

Luke: But Charlotte, we have to let go of fear, trust in the Lord and pray constantly. God does not abandon us. He sends us out like sheep among wolves, but He is our Shepherd; He lays down His life for His sheep.

Charlotte: You’re right, Luke. I’m the one allowing myself to be influenced by worldly ways of thinking. Our true strength is in God.

Luke: Exactly. If God is for us, who can be against us?

Charlotte: Thank You, my God, for my husband.

Mother,

Mary, our Mother, you who gave us Jesus, teach us to live His Kingdom and to bring it to everyone.

Blessed are you!