Gospel of the day
“If you wish, you can make me clean.”
Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand,
touched the leper, and said to him,
“I do will it. Be made clean.”
The leprosy left him immediately, and he was made clean.
Then, warning him sternly, he dismissed him at once.
Then he said to him, “See that you tell no one anything,
but go, show yourself to the priest
and offer for your cleansing what Moses prescribed;
that will be proof for them.”
The man went away and began to publicize the whole matter.
He spread the report abroad
so that it was impossible for Jesus to enter a town openly.
He remained outside in deserted places,
and people kept coming to him from everywhere.
There is no need to reach our breaking point before turning to Him. Let us not wait for difficulty in order to remember His mercy. He loves us so much, and we should approach Him with trust, asking Him for what we need—He knows it better than we do. The Lord wishes to cleanse my marriage, and through the grace of the sacrament He makes known to me what my spouse needs. And whenever my spouse asks, I must be ready to give, for we are called to give ourselves completely, renouncing our own criteria and welcoming our spouse in his or her need.
Let us not miss the opportunity to give ourselves to our spouse in everything he or she asks of us, thus making God’s love present between us.
Rachel: Hi James—how lovely. We were expecting you a bit later.
James: Yes, that’s why I came home earlier. Lately I’ve been staying out longer than necessary, and I know you need me to be home sooner so we can spend more time together, with the children too.
Rachel: I really appreciate it. The truth is, I need you at home mainly to spend more time with you, and I thank God for your effort.
James: Well, you rest now—I’ll prepare supper so that afterwards we can pray together more calmly.
Rachel: Don’t worry. The children and I started preparing it earlier for when you were due to arrive. There’s just a little left, as we weren’t expecting you so soon.
James: How wonderful you are, Rachel. You never miss a thing and you’re always attentive to what I need, even when I don’t always reciprocate.
Rachel: Don’t forget that I do it because I love you, and that I don’t need anything in return. Besides, you’ve also made an effort to come home earlier, thinking of me.
James: You’re right. It’s amazing to see how each of us gives something up with the other’s needs in mind. We are very fortunate.
Rachel: Indeed we are. We’ll continue giving thanks later during our spousal prayer. I’ll finish supper now and let you know.
James: Thank you!
Mother,
Teach us to have enough faith to ask your Son with confidence to cleanse our hearts, and the humility always to fulfil His will. Blessed be God.