Gospel of the Day
Gospel of Luke 9:22–25
Jesus said to his disciples:
“The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected
by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,
and be killed and on the third day be raised.”
Then he said to all,
“If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself
and take up his cross daily and follow me.
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.
What profit is there for one to gain the whole world
yet lose or forfeit himself?”
He Is the True Gain
How often we try to “save” our lives by imposing our own will and criteria, battling against our spouse. And what do we achieve? We lose life itself — joy and happiness fade because the distance between us grows and we drift away from God.
God loves us infinitely and wants to give us true happiness, fullness of life. Yet instead of welcoming that gift, we struggle fruitlessly to obtain the happiness we long for, and we end up exhausted and dissatisfied.
Only in God can we be filled. But self-love and pride prevent us from trusting Him. They stop us from recognising that He is the true gain, and that only by striving — with His grace — to purify our hearts will we attain that longed-for happiness: to live in Him.
Jesus came to save us from sin by dying on the Cross. We too must take up our daily cross — but He carries it with us.
Blessed are You, Lord!
Applied to Married Life
Marta (in prayer): Lord, I come to You wounded. I feel more and more alone, and I respond to my husband with pride and demands. I repay him with the “same coin”. I know this is not what You desire. I know that Paco is a gift for me, and that through him I can love You. But I rebel and seek my own will instead of Yours.
Lord, I want to walk with You and to embrace my small daily crosses, because with You I can do all things, and without You I am nothing.
Sacred Heart of Jesus, in You I trust.
Prayer
Mother,
You who remained with Jesus in His Passion and at the foot of the Cross, teach me to remain beside Him in every circumstance of my life. Give me your humility to always welcome the Father’s will, as you did.
Thank you, Mother, for your “yes”.