Gospel of the day

From the Gospel according to Luke
15:1-10

The tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus,
but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying,
“This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
So Jesus addressed this parable to them.
“What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them
would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert
and go after the lost one until he finds it?
And when he does find it,
he sets it on his shoulders with great joy
and, upon his arrival home,
he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them,
‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’
I tell you, in just the same way
there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents
than over ninety-nine righteous people
who have no need of repentance.

“Or what woman having ten coins and losing one would not light a lamp and sweep the house, searching carefully until she finds it?
And when she does find it,
she calls together her friends and neighbors
and says to them,
‘Rejoice with me because I have found the coin that I lost.’
In just the same way, I tell you,
there will be rejoicing among the angels of God
over one sinner who repents.”

The Joy of Conversion

It fills us with joy to know with certainty how deeply God loves us. We may fall and lose our way countless times, yet He will always be there waiting for us with open arms, desiring only what is best for us.

We must always remain open to conversion. The Lord gives us the means through the sacraments. What a wonder — the celebration in heaven every time someone embraces the faith and is converted! And the same rejoicing happens every time we come out of the confession, our souls cleansed, grace restored — having recognised our sin, repented, and received forgiveness, renewing the friendship with God that sin had broken.

Through our own sacrament, as married couples, we too are given the grace to be converted again and again — every time we welcome our spouse as they are, ask forgiveness and forgive, accept them fully as the gift they are to us, and make small sacrifices of love and self-denial. In doing so, we prepare our souls for the ultimate encounter with God.

 

Brought into Married Life

Leo: Mary, have you realised the power of our sacrament? Through our mutual self-giving, we can see how we grow — and how those around us are transformed too.

Mary: Yes, it’s amazing. I love imagining the celebration in heaven every time the Lord, through the grace we receive, changes the world even just a little through us.

Leo: And imagine the joy each time a couple discovers the greatness of their vocation and their whole life is transformed.

Mary: Thanks be to God, there are more and more marriages like that — couples who, trusting in the grace they’ve received and aware of what they’ve been given, are unknowingly sharing in a little bit of heaven here on earth.

 

Mother,

We are weak and fall so easily.

Show us the grace of never tiring of conversion,

and let us share together the joy of heaven here on earth.

Blessed be the Lord for His infinite love that always rescues us.

Gospel of the day

From the Gospel according to Luke
14:25-33

Great crowds were traveling with Jesus,
and he turned and addressed them,
“If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother,
wife and children, brothers and sisters,
and even his own life,
he cannot be my disciple.
Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me
cannot be my disciple.
Which of you wishing to construct a tower
does not first sit down and calculate the cost
to see if there is enough for its completion?
Otherwise, after laying the foundation
and finding himself unable to finish the work
the onlookers should laugh at him and say,
‘This one began to build but did not have the resources to finish.’
Or what king marching into battle would not first sit down
and decide whether with ten thousand troops
he can successfully oppose another king
advancing upon him with twenty thousand troops?
But if not, while he is still far away,
he will send a delegation to ask for peace terms.
In the same way,
everyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions
cannot be my disciple.”

A True Disciple

Jesus walks from town to town, followed by crowds amazed by His miracles and His words. Yet Jesus is not looking for admirers — He seeks disciples willing to love as He does.

What does it mean, in my life, to follow Jesus? Because sometimes that following can become a set of external habits — things I have to do, a decoration added to my life, a spiritual accessory that makes me feel I’m doing something for the Lord, that I’m one of His followers.

Today, the Lord reminds me of what it truly costs to follow Him. It’s not a fashion, nor a passing emotion. To be a disciple demands something deeper — a call to rise above mediocrity. It means reordering priorities and affections, taking up the cross, denying myself, and persevering to the end.

It’s not enough to begin with enthusiasm. The initial excitement matters, but what truly counts is faithfulness to the end. Love is a lifelong project; it requires foresight, prayer, formation, the support of a community of faith, and perseverance.

In marriage, too, there comes a moment when Jesus turns towards us and says:

“If you want to follow Me in your marriage — if you want your love to be like Mine — take up your cross and deny yourself for love of the other.”

In daily life, this means letting go of pride, selfishness, the need to be right, our whims, our desire to control…

When we choose to follow Jesus and carry His cross, our marriage becomes a strong tower, capable of withstanding any storm. And that love, given and sustained, is the love that truly transforms our lives.

 

Brought into Married Life

Alice: Well, Leo, I’m so upset… my brother’s decided to separate from his wife. He says their love has run out, that they don’t feel the same anymore, and that she doesn’t make him happy.

Leo: Hearing that, it sounds like a very immature kind of love. And what did you say to him?

Alice: I thought of their crying baby… and I asked him, “What do you feel when you have to get up several times in the night to put the dummy back in? Do you feel love then? Does it make you happy at that moment?”

Leo: He’s confused love with a feeling — what a big mistake, and what a dangerous illusion!

Alice: Yes, they want to live a storybook romance — a love without a cross. They need to decide to choose to love. Let’s pray that they can change that “you don’t make me happy” into “I want to give my life for you.”

 

Mother,

Protect us from the deceptions of the evil one,

and help us to keep building the tower of love

with Jesus as its foundation.

Mother of marital love project, pray for us.

Gospel of the day

From the Gospel according to Luke
14:15-24

One of those at table with Jesus said to him,
“Blessed is the one who will dine in the Kingdom of God.”
He replied to him,
“A man gave a great dinner to which he invited many.
When the time for the dinner came,
he dispatched his servant to say to those invited,
‘Come, everything is now ready.’
But one by one, they all began to excuse themselves.
The first said to him,
‘I have purchased a field and must go to examine it;
I ask you, consider me excused.’
And another said, ‘I have purchased five yoke of oxen
and am on my way to evaluate them;
I ask you, consider me excused.’
And another said, ‘I have just married a woman,
and therefore I cannot come.’
The servant went and reported this to his master.
Then the master of the house in a rage commanded his servant,
‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town
and bring in here the poor and the crippled, the blind and the lame.’
The servant reported, ‘Sir, your orders have been carried out
and still there is room.’
The master then ordered the servant,
‘Go out to the highways and hedgerows
and make people come in that my home may be filled.
For, I tell you, none of those men who were invited will taste my dinner.'”

“Until They Come In”

Alive and sharper than any sword is Your Word! You speak without adornment, for in You there is no deceit — and time is short. Your Heart burns for us to know the truth: that we were created by Love and for Love, and You never cease to call us: “Compel them to come in…”

We were born for You, eternal God, and outside of You everything becomes weariness and emptiness. Yet how deaf the human heart is! It insists on living apart from You. Your call is not to burden us but to invite us to a great banquet — to fill us with grace and blessing. But we do not understand. Hearing, we do not hear, and we answer half asleep: “I can’t, I’m too busy, I’ve no time.”

Meanwhile, You, Father, prepare the table with infinite tenderness. You wait, and we, absorbed in what perishes, politely reply: “Excuse me, Lord, I cannot come.” What blindness of soul! We seek life in what is dying, not realising that by dying we live.

Your Father’s Heart is moved, and You warn us — with the clarity of One who truly sees — that the day will come, we know not when, when we shall be taken from this world:

“I tell you, none of those who were invited shall taste my banquet.”

The final banquet is “tomorrow”, but “today” is the moment to say yes. Let us leave behind excuses, noise, and distractions — vanity of vanities, all is nothing without You. Let us say to the Father:

“Yes, I want to answer Your call. Yes, I want to be loved by You. I want to be converted. I want to love.”

Then you will see how that banquet begins already in this life, transforming everything — your marriage, your family, your work, even your pain. Everything becomes a place of encounter and communion with You, Lord.

Beloved Father, wait for us — we are coming! Do not stop waiting, keep calling; I will call with You. Do not grow weary, do not be saddened — we are coming, Father, we are coming.

Brought into Married Life

That evening, Mary had prepared a very special dinner. Her husband Matthew was due home after several days away, and she wanted to surprise him and their children. She had gone to the market, chosen the best ingredients, spent more than usual — but it was worth it.

She turned off the dining room lights and lit candles, put on some music — everything prepared, cooked, and done with love. With joy she called out:

“Children, dinner’s ready! Come, your father will be here any minute!”

No answer. She called again:

“Children, come on! Dad’s almost home — it’s time to eat!”

But one replied, “I’m not hungry!” another, “I’m studying!” another, “I’m playing on the console!” and the last, “I’m on the phone!”

Mary stood there, alone and confused before the glowing table. She felt the temptation to give up — to blow out the candles and say, “I’m done insisting; let them do as they please. They don’t value anything.”

But suddenly, in her heart, she heard the words of the Gospel: “Compel them to come in…”

In that silence, she understood that the Father was sharing His own sorrow with her — the pain of preparing a banquet of love and being rejected. And from her heart rose a whisper: “I love You, Father. I want to answer Your call, and I will call with You, tirelessly, until my whole family says yes to You.”

Then she rose and went from room to room. Entering with a smile, she stroked each child’s hair, kissed them, and softly said, “There’s a surprise waiting for you in the sitting room.”

One by one, curious, the children came down. When they saw the table glowing with candlelight, the warmth of the fire, the smell of bread, their mother’s smile — something stirred within them. They sat down, waiting for their father, moved by what they had nearly rejected.

Mary looked at them with immense tenderness, and in the silence of her heart she prayed:

“Thank You, Father, for never getting tired of calling me.”

Mother,

You went “in haste” up the mountain — may we never delay our yes to God’s call.

Help us, Mother!

Gospel of the day

From the Gospel according to Luke 14:12-14

On a sabbath Jesus went to dine
at the home of one of the leading Pharisees.
He said to the host who invited him,
“When you hold a lunch or a dinner,
do not invite your friends or your brothers or sisters
or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors,
in case they may invite you back and you have repayment.
Rather, when you hold a banquet,
invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind;
blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you.
For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

Without Expecting Any Reward

When we extend an invitation, we might think that we are offering something of our own to others — our home, our food, our time — and so we tend to do it with those we love. It’s also common to expect that those who appreciate us will respond in kind; we even consider it fair to expect reciprocity. Yet the Lord’s logic is quite different. His justice works in another way. What I have is not truly mine — it has been freely given to me, and so I must share it freely, without expecting anything in return.

In fact, Jesus encourages us to give precisely when we know we won’t be repaid, so that our desire to give of ourselves (without expecting a return) may be genuine. He knows our weakness. In marriage, those moments when we give ourselves — even knowing that our spouse will not reciprocate (perhaps because of sin, illness, or temperament) — are precisely when we are fulfilling this command of Jesus.

There are many times when that resurrection and that reward do come in this life (we in the Marital Love Project have witnessed it), and others when we shall have to wait until eternal life. Only God knows.

Brought into Married Life

Paul: Lucy, the psychologist has confirmed the diagnosis we feared. All my difficulties stem from a syndrome that prevents me from showing emotions and understanding social relationships. I’m not going to be able to give you what you’ve so often asked for. This is for life — I can only improve superficially.

Lucy: I’ve been reading about it, trying to understand how I can help you. And today’s Gospel happened to speak exactly about this. I’ve always asked you — and sometimes even demanded — to be more affectionate and attentive, and that’s caused many of our arguments. The Lord is asking me to welcome you as you truly are. He knows the depths of your heart, and He tells me that you are His delight. He will help me to know you more deeply and love you better. You’ve taken a very important step for me, my love. Thank you for wanting to seek answers.

Paul: I was afraid you wouldn’t want to spend the rest of your life with me after finding this out.

Lucy: Paul, the Lord chose us to be together from all eternity. He doesn’t make mistakes, and I trust in Him. This is the path of our happiness — and of our holiness.

Mother,

May our joy be found in giving of ourselves without expecting anything in return.

Amen. Praise be to God!

Gospel of the day

From the Gospel according to Matthew 5:1-12

‘Blessed are the poor in spirit.’

At that time: Seeing the crowds, Jesus went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven.’

An Scan of the Heart of Jesus

We often recommend turning our gaze towards the Heart of Christ when reading the Gospel. Today, we suggest it especially, because Jesus speaks to us about happiness — and straight away, we tend to focus on finding the key to happiness, hoping that at last… it might fully arrive.

But if Jesus describes who the blessed are, it is because He desires to make them blessed. Therefore, by meditating on the Beatitudes, we are delving into the very longings of the Heart of Jesus.

Brought into Married Life

Clara: We often pray to be in the Heart of Jesus and to live everything from within it. But how can we actually do that?

Leo: Certainly by getting to know Him — so that we may have “the same mind as Christ Jesus.” And for that, there’s no better ultrasound than the Beatitudes. In them, He reveals His deepest desires.

Clara: For example, His special tenderness towards those most in need. He watches over you especially when you need Him most.

Leo: And His love for those who suffer for His sake — how deeply He loves you when you are criticised for loving Him.

Clara: Or for those who show mercy. How much I should value you each time you reach out to someone despite their sin.

Leo: And for those who strive to bring about God’s will, as He did, offering themselves to bring peace. We are truly in His Heart when we carry our cross to bring His peace to others.

Clara: And then there are the pure of heart. I see there especially those whom Jesus called His mother and His brothers — those who hear the Word and keep it. How deeply He values that kind of sincerity and faithfulness. That’s what He wants for us too — no criticism, no complaints, no double-heartedness.

Leo: There’s so much to learn about the Heart of Jesus in the Beatitudes, isn’t there?

Clara: I love it. I need to keep praying with them to discover even more.

Mother,

With you, my spirit rejoices in God.

Praise be to Him.