Gospel of the day

From the Gospel accoording to Luke 19:11-28

While people were listening to Jesus speak,
he proceeded to tell a parable because he was near Jerusalem
and they thought that the Kingdom of God
would appear there immediately.
So he said,
“A nobleman went off to a distant country
to obtain the kingship for himself and then to return.
He called ten of his servants and gave them ten gold coins
and told them, ‘Engage in trade with these until I return.’
His fellow citizens, however, despised him
and sent a delegation after him to announce,
‘We do not want this man to be our king.’
But when he returned after obtaining the kingship,
he had the servants called, to whom he had given the money,
to learn what they had gained by trading.
The first came forward and said,
‘Sir, your gold coin has earned ten additional ones.’
He replied, ‘Well done, good servant!
You have been faithful in this very small matter;
take charge of ten cities.’
Then the second came and reported,
‘Your gold coin, sir, has earned five more.’
And to this servant too he said,
‘You, take charge of five cities.’
Then the other servant came and said,
‘Sir, here is your gold coin;
I kept it stored away in a handkerchief,
for I was afraid of you, because you are a demanding man;
you take up what you did not lay down
and you harvest what you did not plant.’
He said to him,
‘With your own words I shall condemn you,
you wicked servant.
You knew I was a demanding man,
taking up what I did not lay down
and harvesting what I did not plant;
why did you not put my money in a bank?
Then on my return I would have collected it with interest.’
And to those standing by he said,
‘Take the gold coin from him
and give it to the servant who has ten.’
But they said to him,
‘Sir, he has ten gold coins.’
He replied, ‘I tell you,
to everyone who has, more will be given,
but from the one who has not,
even what he has will be taken away.
Now as for those enemies of mine who did not want me as their king,
bring them here and slay them before me.'”
After he had said this,
he proceeded on his journey up to Jerusalem.

The Gold Mine

The seed of faith is that gold mine the Lord places in our hands on the day of our baptism. A small seed planted in my soul, which now depends on my care until the Lord returns and asks me how I made it bear fruit.
How am I caring for my faith? Am I nourishing it with prayer and the sacraments? Am I watering it with spiritual formation? Am I protecting it from worldly “plagues”? Am I helping it grow, or am I letting it die? A seed cannot grow in thin air; it needs soil—and that soil is our real, concrete life: our marriage, our family. My faith and my marriage are inseparable; I cannot love God and fail to love my spouse (1 John 4,20). Faith and love work the same way: they only grow when they are cared for.  “To everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.” If we care for the seed of faith, it will grow, and I will receive more grace from God, more of His love, and my marriage will also flourish because the Lord will dwell more and more in our hearts.
But if I neglect it, I will lose it. I will lose my faith, I will lose God’s grace, and I may end up ruining my marriage.
Because without God my soul—and my marriage—dies.

Mother,

When the Lord returns, may He find in our hearts a great faith and a true love. Help us, dear Mother. Blessed and praised be you!

From the Gospel accoording to Luke 19:11-28

While people were listening to Jesus speak,
he proceeded to tell a parable because he was near Jerusalem
and they thought that the Kingdom of God
would appear there immediately.
So he said,
“A nobleman went off to a distant country
to obtain the kingship for himself and then to return.
He called ten of his servants and gave them ten gold coins
and told them, ‘Engage in trade with these until I return.’
His fellow citizens, however, despised him
and sent a delegation after him to announce,
‘We do not want this man to be our king.’
But when he returned after obtaining the kingship,
he had the servants called, to whom he had given the money,
to learn what they had gained by trading.
The first came forward and said,
‘Sir, your gold coin has earned ten additional ones.’
He replied, ‘Well done, good servant!
You have been faithful in this very small matter;
take charge of ten cities.’
Then the second came and reported,
‘Your gold coin, sir, has earned five more.’
And to this servant too he said,
‘You, take charge of five cities.’
Then the other servant came and said,
‘Sir, here is your gold coin;
I kept it stored away in a handkerchief,
for I was afraid of you, because you are a demanding man;
you take up what you did not lay down
and you harvest what you did not plant.’
He said to him,
‘With your own words I shall condemn you,
you wicked servant.
You knew I was a demanding man,
taking up what I did not lay down
and harvesting what I did not plant;
why did you not put my money in a bank?
Then on my return I would have collected it with interest.’
And to those standing by he said,
‘Take the gold coin from him
and give it to the servant who has ten.’
But they said to him,
‘Sir, he has ten gold coins.’
He replied, ‘I tell you,
to everyone who has, more will be given,
but from the one who has not,
even what he has will be taken away.
Now as for those enemies of mine who did not want me as their king,
bring them here and slay them before me.'”
After he had said this,
he proceeded on his journey up to Jerusalem.

The seed of faith is that gold mine the Lord places in our hands on the day of our baptism. A small seed planted in my soul, which now depends on my care until the Lord returns and asks me how I made it bear fruit.
How am I caring for my faith? Am I nourishing it with prayer and the sacraments? Am I watering it with spiritual formation? Am I protecting it from worldly “plagues”? Am I helping it grow, or am I letting it die? A seed cannot grow in thin air; it needs soil—and that soil is our real, concrete life: our marriage, our family. My faith and my marriage are inseparable; I cannot love God and fail to love my spouse (1 John 4,20). Faith and love work the same way: they only grow when they are cared for.  “To everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.” If we care for the seed of faith, it will grow, and I will receive more grace from God, more of His love, and my marriage will also flourish because the Lord will dwell more and more in our hearts.
But if I neglect it, I will lose it. I will lose my faith, I will lose God’s grace, and I may end up ruining my marriage.
Because without God my soul—and my marriage—dies.

Beth: What a good piece of advice Andrew and Charlotte gave us, do you remember? It was many years ago, but only now do I realise the depth of wisdom in those words.
Richard: Refresh my memory—I’m not sure what you’re talking about…
Beth: Come on, you know—the day you told them you had no faith, and they answered that yes, you did have faith, only perhaps you hadn’t cared for it. They encouraged you to start living as if you had faith, and then the seed would begin to grow again…
Richard: And they were absolutely right… I remember starting to pray however I could, going to confession, going to Mass without understanding a thing— and then it happened… my faith began to sprout again… and from then on it has grown day by day…
Beth: That advice helped me as well. I used to say I had faith, but… in reality it meant nothing in my life. It was like an ornament, a traditional, theoretical faith… No wonder things were going as they were—two parallel lives under the same roof…
Richard: How good the Lord is, coming to our rescue with that “heavenly piece of advice”.

Mother,

When the Lord returns, may He find in our hearts a great faith and a true love. Help us, dear Mother. Blessed and praised be you!

From the Gospel accoording to Luke 19:1-10

At that time Jesus came to Jericho and intended to pass through the town.
Now a man there named Zacchaeus,
who was a chief tax collector and also a wealthy man,
was seeking to see who Jesus was;
but he could not see him because of the crowd,
for he was short in stature.
So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus,
who was about to pass that way.
When he reached the place, Jesus looked up and said,
“Zacchaeus, come down quickly,
for today I must stay at your house.”
And he came down quickly and received him with joy.
When they saw this, they began to grumble, saying,
“He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner.”
But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord,
“Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor,
and if I have extorted anything from anyone
I shall repay it four times over.”
And Jesus said to him,
“Today salvation has come to this house
because this man too is a descendant of Abraham.
For the Son of Man has come to seek
and to save what was lost.”

Zachary is indeed a sinner, yet he seeks Jesus with burning desire. Nothing stops him; he overcomes every obstacle he finds— the crowd, his small stature, his shame, his sin… When the soul truly longs for Christ, it breaks through any barrier in order to reach Him. And then something happens that he did not expect: Jesus looks at him—though He had been watching him already. He calls him by name and enters into his story, his shadows, his sins, in order to reach even deeper.
What matters to Jesus about Zacchaeus is precisely what others failed to see when they judged him: the longing for God in his heart. Jesus is never indifferent to a heart that recognises its weakness and seeks Him despite all difficulty.
And what is Jesus’s response? “Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house.”  That is how Jesus is: when you seek Him with a sincere heart and a proven desire, He comes, He goes ahead of you.
Zacchaeus obeys Jesus. He climbs down at once and welcomes Him joyfully, Scripture says. It is a joy that only those who let God inside them, without obstacles, can truly experience. In that encounter, the Lord’s love pierces him within: it awakens his conscience, melts his pride, and kindles the most perfect repentance because it repairs what is broken. The change in his life has already begun, because Zacchaeus chooses to do His will. We want our marriage to change… but do we still fail to seek Jesus with real hunger? Ask the Lord for that hunger!
Do we expect a new life while allowing ourselves to be held back by a thousand excuses—lack of time, work, noise, criticism, selfishness, whims, comfort?
We say we love God, but when He asks something concrete of us… do we hesitate, negotiate, or postpone? If we want the Lord to transform our marriage, let us follow Zacchaeus’ way: seek Him wholeheartedly, let Him look at you, respond without delay, open your heart without reserve. Then Christ will be able to say of you as well:
“Today salvation has come to this house.”

Marianne knew that morning she had spoken harshly to Leonard. Her heart quickly burned to restore their communion, so she called him mid-morning. She barely managed to whisper a timid “hello” before Leonard answered with a tenderness that completely disarmed her: “Hello, my love… shall we go out for lunch today?” Marianne smiled with joy on the other end of the line and immediately replied, “Yes, of course!” And what more? Nothing more.That is how the love of communion is built—so simply—when two hearts are willing to overcome the obstacles of pride, arrogance and judgement, because they have discovered the treasure of living in God’s love.

Mother,

How delicate is the Heart of Jesus, how deeply His gaze penetrates the soul. Make us like Him; teach us how to love. Praised be the Lord!

From the Gospel accoording to Luke 18:35-43

As Jesus approached Jericho
a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging,
and hearing a crowd going by, he inquired what was happening.
They told him,
“Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.”
He shouted, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!”
The people walking in front rebuked him,
telling him to be silent,
but he kept calling out all the more,
“Son of David, have pity on me!”
Then Jesus stopped and ordered that he be brought to him;
and when he came near, Jesus asked him,
“What do you want me to do for you?”
He replied, “Lord, please let me see.”
Jesus told him, “Have sight; your faith has saved you.”
He immediately received his sight
and followed him, giving glory to God.
When they saw this, all the people gave praise to God.

Our weakness leaves us blind in a way. It prevents us from seeing the Gift that my husband is to me, and we end up suffering the consequences of that blindness. We live a grey life, full of complaints; a mediocre life that does not reflect the beauty God desires for our marriage. To reach that beauty, we must become aware of this blindness and ask Jesus—who constantly passes by our side, waiting for us to call upon Him in faith—“Lord, let me see again.”
When the Lord opens our eyes to the beauty of our Sacrament, we begin to see the Gift that our spouse truly is, all the greatness and loveliness. Our marriage, and indeed our whole life, takes on a new meaning, and then we give glory to God for it.

Margaret: Frederick, do you remember when I told you I just couldn’t cope any longer? I was desperate. I loved you, but we simply couldn’t understand each other when we talked, and we would end up angry, avoiding each other for days. It was as if I were blind, unable to see the beauty our marriage could have.
Frederick: I felt exactly the same. Thankfully that day we went to the church, and that kind priest recommended the Marital Love Project retreat. It really marked a before and after for us.
Margaret: It truly did. We recognised our need, and the Lord removed that blindness. Now, following the guidance of our marriage mentor, prayer, acts of mutual self-giving and acceptance, and the sacraments are helping us heal and fill our marriage—and our family—with joy.
Frederick: Let us never stop giving Glory to God!
(And their children, who were listening, praised the Lord.)

Mother,

Help us discover our own blindness and to ask the Lord, in faith, to heal us.
Praise be to God!

While some people were speaking about
how the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings,
Jesus said, “All that you see here–
the days will come when there will not be left
a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down.”

Then they asked him,
“Teacher, when will this happen?
And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?”
He answered,
“See that you not be deceived,
for many will come in my name, saying,
‘I am he,’ and ‘The time has come.’
Do not follow them!
When you hear of wars and insurrections,
do not be terrified; for such things must happen first,
but it will not immediately be the end.”
Then he said to them,
“Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.
There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues
from place to place;
and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky.

“Before all this happens, however,
they will seize and persecute you,
they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons,
and they will have you led before kings and governors
because of my name.
It will lead to your giving testimony.
Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand,
for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking
that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute.
You will even be handed over by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends,
and they will put some of you to death.
You will be hated by all because of my name,
but not a hair on your head will be destroyed.
By your perseverance you will secure your lives.”

Peter: Phoebe, this weekend we’re going to my parents’ house; my mum’s not feeling too well, and I’m sure she’d be delighted if we brought the children over. What do you think?
Phoebe: Peter, to be honest, I don’t feel like going at all; I always feel judged by your parents—they’re constantly waiting to catch me out.
Peter: I understand, Phoebe, but they’re getting older and they need affection.
Phoebe: Yes, maybe, but your mum never seems to appreciate anything I do. I try to do everything with as much care as possible, but she always finds fault with everything.
Peter: Let’s go to the parish and bring this to prayer.
Phoebe: Well, I hope they don’t see us going into the church, because last time the comment was: “All that Mass and all that God, yet the children are neglected.”
Peter: Yes… we need a lot of prayer so that the Holy Spirit gives us the right words for them to see the greatness of the Faith we live.
Phoebe: Yes, let’s ask the Holy Spirit to show us what we should say and how we should act so that they may see God’s Love in our lives.
Oh! And forgive me; I know how much it hurts you when I speak this way about your parents. I didn’t mean to hurt you even more.
Peter: You’re forgiven, my dear wife. I caught you off guard, and I should have been more gentle. Let’s do our couple’s prayer and place everything at the Lord’s feet, and you will see how He brings good out of all of this.

Mother,

Help us to love those who do not love us and who do not love Your Son, just as You love us all as Your children. Thank you, Mother. Blessed be God!