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.