If we are sensitive to praise, we are likely to be just as sensitive to insults and to what others think of us. Yet it is our actions, not what people say about us, that truly reveal who we are. That is why Jesus calls blessed those who hear the Word of God and put it into practice.

This was one of the qualities of our Mother, Mary, which Jesus places above even the privilege of having conceived Him and nourished Him as a child. Mary is the perfect model of this path. She is blessed not simply because she carried Jesus in her womb, but because of her complete openness and obedience to God’s divine plan.

This is so important that Jesus reiterates it in other passages of the Gospel. In John 15:14, He says, “You are my friends if you do what I command you.” He also tells us that His mother and brothers are those who hear the Word of God and put it into practice (Matthew 12:46–50 and Luke 8:19–21).

How important it is to listen to the Word of God, for this is the only way to know His will for us! But we must not stop at simply listening. We must put His Word into practice and do what God wants us to do.

The same can happen in marriage. We can say beautiful things to one another without actually doing anything for each other — and what good is that? And if my spouse pulls a face and gets out of bed on the wrong side, saying all sorts of hurtful things, should I then stop doing what is good? We cannot allow ourselves to be swayed by praise or insults. We must always seek God’s will.

So how can we listen to the Word of God in our married lives so that we can put it into practice? Through conjugal prayer: that sacred space where husband and wife sit together to listen to the Lord. It is not about interpreting reality according to our own opinions or selfish desires, but about learning to see our spouse through God’s eyes.

Peter: You know, Phoebe, as I’ve been reflecting on today’s Gospel, I’ve realised how often we expect our marriage to work through our own human strength or natural affection alone. But Jesus is telling us that true blessedness comes from listening to God’s Word and putting it into practice together. Don’t you think we’ve been listening too much to ourselves and finding it difficult to listen to Him?

Phoebe: Honestly, yes, Peter. I was thinking the same thing. I feel that the busyness of everyday life and our tiredness make us selfish, and that’s why we struggle to make space for that silence together, that time of prayer we so desperately need to seek what God wants for our family.

Peter: Just think about it, love. Something tells me that today, “listening to His Word” means stopping for a while, putting our screens aside and praying together. It means persevering in our daily time of conjugal prayer, without rushing, with our hearts open to Him.

Phoebe: And “putting it into practice” means seeing you through Christ’s eyes and loving you in practical ways, through the little things we do every day. It means setting aside my complaints and serving you without expecting anything in return, without demanding that you be the way I want you to be.

Peter: Then let’s sit down and pray together, even if it’s only for ten minutes, so that we can discover and welcome what God is asking of us. That way, we can also allow the Lord to heal any little tensions or hurts between us.

Phoebe: Let’s go, then! As for putting the Word into practice in everyday life, I want to ask the Virgin Mary to teach me her openness and obedience to God. I love you.

Prayer

Mother,

Teach us to be attentive so that we may discover God’s will, and to be docile and open to what He asks of us, so that we may bear abundant fruits of Love.

Blessed and glorious are you, Mother! May the Lord be praised for ever!