GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to Luke 11:1-4

Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished,

one of his disciples said to him,

“Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.”

He said to them, “When you pray, say:

Father, hallowed be your name,

your Kingdom come.

Give us each day our daily bread

and forgive us our sins

for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us,

and do not subject us to the final test.”

The word of the Lord

An Open Window

The disciples saw how often Jesus prayed—how He withdrew to quiet places and communed intimately with the Father. They realised that prayer was at the very heart of Jesus’ life, and so they asked Him: “Lord, teach us to pray.” What’s beautiful is that Jesus didn’t give them a method or formula; instead, He began to pray Himself, allowing us to glimpse His precious Heart. Every word of the Our Father is a window into Christ’s intimacy with the Father. The Lord invites us into that same intimacy.

Jesus begins His prayer with a word that changes everything: “Father.” This awakens us to our true identity—we are beloved children. Contemplating this truth renews the heart: I am a child, in need of my Father, dependent on His love, His providence, His mercy, His protection… and so I throw myself into His arms and, like a little child, say: “Father, hold me—I’m tired! Guide me—I’m lost! Help me—I can’t do this alone!” By recognising this truth, we begin a relationship of love and intimacy, and the Our Father becomes the Heart of Jesus beating on our lips.

Applied to Married Life

Alfie: Eleonor, what do you think about praying together with the children before dinner?

Eleonor: I think it’s a wonderful idea—what better way for them to get to know the Lord! Then we can continue with our couple’s prayer, alright?

(Alfie and Eleonor persevered in family and marital prayer. Each evening before dinner, they read the Gospel and, like Jesus, prayed aloud to the Father. Little by little, their children learned to cultivate that intimacy with the Lord, which transformed their lives.)

Mother,

I love imagining your moments of prayer in Nazareth—with Jesus in your arms, repeating in His little voice the psalms and prayers you and Joseph would say.

Holy Family, make our home a school of prayer and love! Thank you, blessed Mother!

GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to Luke 10:38-42

Jesus entered a village

where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him.

She had a sister named Mary

who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.

Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said,

“Lord, do you not care

that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving?

Tell her to help me.”

The Lord said to her in reply,

“Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things.

There is need of only one thing.

Mary has chosen the better part

and it will not be taken from her.”

The word of the Lord

That never ends well.

Because of our fallen nature, we tend to judge others—and so much so, that we even try to get Jesus to take our side. In doing so, we may find ourselves acting like Martha, asking the Lord what He thinks about what our spouse does or doesn’t do, because we believe they should change and do things the way we do them. Martha couldn’t understand why Mary wasn’t focused on what she considered important, and above all, she couldn’t grasp why the Lord seemed unbothered by Mary’s attitude.

Let’s highlight two clear points here:

First, Jesus does not like us accusing one another in any way.

Second, Martha was mistaken about what truly mattered to the Lord.

What is that “better part” Jesus speaks of—the one Mary chose? Intimacy with Him. You may be doing many things, even within the Church—serving couples, teaching catechesis—but before your work, before your mission, He wants you. He desires that deep intimacy with you, the kind no one can take away, forged only through prayer. That intimacy will help us align everything we do with His will, for His glory—not ours.

So, take a moment to ask what Jesus is asking of you, and don’t judge what the other is doing or not doing. That never ends well.

Applied to Married Life

Rose: Oh Charles, I’ve got so much to do I feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day. This morning I was so anxious thinking about everything that I couldn’t even pray—and it’s been like that for a while… I’ve been all over the place. I hadn’t told you.

Charles : That won’t do, my love. Nothing is more important than prayer. In prayer you’ll find the strength and the guidance to do everything you do—always in the Lord. Never postpone that time alone with Him.

Rose: You’re absolutely right. And to make things worse, I’d started thinking that you didn’t really care about all the things we have to do, and that you’re too relaxed about what I consider important… I was judging you… I’m sorry.

Charles: I love you, Rose. I’ll be more attentive in helping you—I know I need to improve there. But without prayer, we’re going nowhere, right?

Rose: Right. All for His Glory.

Charles: So be it!

Mother,

You lived always intimately united to the Heart of your Son. Help me to live in Him, with you. Praised be you forever!

GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to Luke 10:25-37

There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test Jesus and said,

“Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

Jesus said to him, “What is written in the law?

How do you read it?”

He said in reply,

“You shall love the Lord, your God,

with all your heart,

with all your being,

with all your strength,

and with all your mind,

and your neighbour as yourself.”

He replied to him, “You have answered correctly;

do this and you will live.”

But because he wished to justify himself, he said to Jesus,

“And who is my neighbour?”

Jesus replied,

“A man fell victim to robbers

as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho.

They stripped and beat him and went off leaving him half-dead.

A priest happened to be going down that road,

but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.

Likewise a Levite came to the place,

and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.

But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him

was moved with compassion at the sight.

He approached the victim,

poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them.

Then he lifted him up on his own animal,

took him to an inn, and cared for him.

The next day he took out two silver coins

and gave them to the innkeeper with the instruction,

‘Take care of him.

If you spend more than what I have given you,

I shall repay you on my way back.’

Which of these three, in your opinion,

was neighbour to the robbers’ victim?”

He answered, “The one who treated him with mercy.”

Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

The word of the Lord

Beaten but not defeated

To attain eternal life, the Lord leads us to the Scriptures, showing us how we ought to love God and our neighbour. Jesus takes it a step further and clarifies who our neighbour truly is: the one who feels mercy and puts it into action. In marriage, our neighbour is right there at home—someone to love in every circumstance. We may not find our spouse battered by bandits, but we will certainly find him wounded by sin, when temptation has overcome him and his weakness has left him crushed. In that moment, which may seem the least deserved, is precisely when he most needs our love. Will we walk past? Or even cause further harm? Only by the Grace of God can we grow in mercy. Let us ask for the Grace of our Sacrament, so that we may be a fitting help to that wounded heart.

Applied to  Married Life

Rachel: Luke, I want to ask your forgiveness. This afternoon I was nervous and I treated you badly—I shouted at you and lost my temper. It felt like I wasn’t even in control of myself. And I want to thank you, because you received me with kindness, and that helped me calm down and regain control.

Luke: Honestly, I could see pure anger in your eyes—it was even a bit frightening. You must have been feeling really overwhelmed.

Rachel: I love you! There I was, shouting at you, and you were thinking about me. How do you do that?

Luke: By the Grace of God. I also remembered the advice from our marriage mentor—not to focus on myself, but to imagine you lying wounded on the road, like in the parable of the Good Samaritan, in need of care.

Rachel: I thank God for you, my love.

Mother,

Thank you for showing us the path of conjugal charity. Blessed are you forever. Amen.

Gospel

Gospel