Gospel

‘Immediately the leprosy left him.’
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke
Luke 5:12-16

While Jesus was in one of the cities, there came a man full of leprosy. And when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged him, ‘Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.’ And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, ‘I will; be clean.’ And immediately the leprosy left him. And he charged him to tell no one, but ‘go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as Moses commanded, for a proof to them.’ But now even more the report about him went abroad, and great crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed of their infirmities. But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray.

The Gospel of the Lord

A Testimony to You

Lord, Your works testify to You and who You are. Your Law surpasses the law of Moses, which could not cure Miriam of her leprosy. That leper carried Your testimony to the priests in the temple, for You are greater than Moses, and Your Sacrifice surpasses those offered in the temple for purification under Moses’ law.
My testimony of Your work in me is tarnished by areas of my life where I fail to bear witness to You. Yet Your testimony is definitive. That is why You came into the world—because only You could bear true witness. Thank You, Lord.

Applied to Married Life:

Jonathan: A leper in contact with a healthy person spreads their disease. But You, Lord, purify everyone You touch, because Your goodness is stronger than my sin. In contact with You, You heal me. Today, Lord, I have fallen again, and once again, You want to cleanse me. Tomorrow, I will bear witness to You before those who doubt that You are the Son of God, the Saviour.
Amelia: What would have become of that leper if he hadn’t borne witness to You, Lord? What would he have deserved? I, too, want to bear witness to You, Lord, because Your work in me deserves to be known by many so they may believe. May Your Sacrifice bear abundant fruit for the salvation of souls. Count on me, Lord. Even if I feel ashamed, even if it seems I lose my dignity when others learn of the misery You’ve forgiven in me. I believe You deserve more. I believe honour and glory should return to You. Count on my testimony, Lord, for the salvation of many marriages.
Jonathan: Count on my testimony, Lord, for the salvation of many husbands.

Mother,

May we be messengers of God’s love through our testimony. May we be courageous, because the Sacrifice of Your Son is worthy. Praise be to the Lord, who works the miracle of forgiving us and granting us His grace every day. Amen.

Gospel

‘Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.’
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke
Luke 4:14-22a

At that time: Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country. And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.
  And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll, and found the place where it was written,
‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.’
And he rolled up the scroll, and gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, ‘Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.’ And all spoke well of him and marvelled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth.

Centre of Attention

Lord, I am small, though I sometimes struggle to admit it and try to act big. It’s such a shame because You focus on the small, and I end up stepping out of Your spotlight. But now I acknowledge it, Lord: I am poor, not yet fully free, blinded by my sin, and oppressed by my bad habits. Will You come to me, please?

Applied to Married Life:

Magdalena: The more you try to act big, the more mistakes you make, and the less I like it. Just be yourself. I love you as you are. Don’t try to appear more than you are, because that’s when you become less than you truly are.
Andrew: You’re right. My strength is in my weakness because that’s when the Lord focuses on me.
Magdalena: That’s my husband! How much I love you!

Mother,

This is a time of grace, even though we often focus on misfortunes. We keep our hope in the Lord because what was read truly comes to pass—even today! Praise be to the Lord.

Gospel

‘They saw him walking on the sea.’
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark 
Mark 6:45-52

After the five thousand had eaten and were satisfied: Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. And after he had taken leave of them, he went up on the mountain to pray. And when evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land. And he saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them, but when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out, for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, ‘Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.’ And he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.

The Gospel of the Lord

Courage, It’s Me

The Lord sends me on missions that often feel overwhelming. Life itself can be tough at times. So much is beyond my control: the future of my children, my health and that of my family, work circumstances… But today, Lord, You look me in the eye and say: “Take courage, it’s Me; do not be afraid.”
Each night, I see You beside me. I see Your providential hand at work in countless moments of my life. I know You are with me, and that calms me, gives me peace, fills me with confidence and joy. You are by my side. How important I am to You. Thank You, Lord!

Applied to Married Life:

Graham: Alison, I’ve realised we live constantly under the shadow of fear. They say that over 90% of our fears are rooted in things that haven’t happened and likely never will. But we still worry about what might happen. What if I lose my job? What if something happens to the children? What if someone breaks into the house? What if I fall ill? What if we can’t pay the mortgage? What if you leave me?
Alison: True, Graham, but our fragility has a positive side—it reminds us that the Lord is present, that we depend on Him, and that He cares for us. The only way to live our lives in peace is to trust in Him. There are so many “what ifs” in the life of a family!
Graham: Absolutely. After experiencing the miracle of life, receiving the gift of family, and the gift of faith… we let fear of trivial things defeat us. It’s clear that if I live in fear, it’s because I’m turning my back on God. So, I’ve decided to keep Him at the centre and live my life with a sense of the supernatural. Today, the Lord says to me: “Take courage, it’s Me; do not be afraid!”

Mother,

How wonderful it is that the Lord wants to be so close to me, to care for me, to encourage me, and to fill me with hope. It gives me such joy to have Him by my side. My God. Who is like God? Praise be to Him.

Gospel

When Jesus multiplied the loaves, he revealed himself as a prophet.
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark 
Mk 6:34-44

At that time: When Jesus went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things. And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, ‘This is a desolate place, and the hour is now late. Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.’ But he answered them, ‘You give them something to eat.’ And they said to him, ‘Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat?’ And he said to them, ‘How many loaves do you have? Go and see.’ And when they had found out, they said, ‘Five, and two fish.’ Then he commanded them all to sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups, by hundreds and by fifties. And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing, and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples to set before the people. And he divided the two fish among them all. And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. And those who ate the loaves were five thousand men.

The Gospel of the Lord

Excited to Contribute

In today’s Gospel, Christ speaks to each of us personally and directly:
“Give them something to eat. How many loaves do you have? Go and see.”
Because my spouse has a hunger that only I can help satisfy, and God has given me what they need.
This is the specific call to live out our vocation of conjugal love. Jesus only needs a tiny bit of willingness and generosity to transform our marriage: my loaves and fishes, offered in service to my spouse. Is it little? Yes, we know that… or perhaps the problem is we think we’re giving a lot. Maybe the first step is to “go and see” how many loaves I truly have, to realise I don’t even have enough to begin to satisfy their hunger. My spouse hungers for the infinite, because they hunger for God.
But the Lord continues to speak, asking my spouse to recline and prepare to be filled with what they truly need. He asks me to give all I have and all I am to Him. Yet, since only God can quench their thirst for the infinite, we must first offer it to Jesus. He will transform it and perform the miracle of abundance.

Applied to Married Life:

James: Laura, you’re right. I’m not giving my all in our relationship, which is why you feel an emptiness inside. For example, do I really listen to you? Do I try to understand you? Do I make an effort to please you? Do I make you feel important? Do I respect your authority with our children? Do I share decisions with you? Do I compliment you daily? Do I tell you how much I love you every day? I can see I fall far short of giving you everything I have and everything I am.
Laura (James’ wife): Honestly, I could say the same to you. I complain, but I’m not doing my part either. Still, if we were to do this in the name of the Lord, even though our love is small, wounded, and fragile, if we offer it to Jesus, He will multiply it until there are baskets left over. Surprisingly, it will also feed those around us: our children, family, friends…
James: I think it’s worth getting excited about contributing what little we have so the Lord can fill our hearts with the communion we both need. Shall we give Him everything?
Laura: Everything. Let’s go!

Mother,

We’re certain that Jesus feels compassion for us and won’t let us leave unsatisfied. We lift our eyes to heaven. Father, we bless You and offer You the most precious gift: the Sacrifice of Your Son, through whom our marriage has been redeemed. We give You all that we are; we hold nothing back. Allow us to give ourselves to each other as it was in the beginning of creation so that our mutual self-giving may perfectly satisfy the hunger for love in our hearts. Through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord. Amen.
 

Gospel

‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’
Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew 
Mt 4:12-17, 23-25

At that time: When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee. And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: ‘The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles — the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned.’ From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’
  And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, those having seizures, and paralytics, and he healed them. And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.

The Gospel of the Lord

The Most Powerful Gifts

“The kingdom of heaven is near,” Jesus said. And the kingdom of heaven has already come. What does this mean for you and me? It means that while we had a fallen nature, the Lord has raised it so we can partake in the Divine nature.
We often rely on the gifts inherent to our fallen nature: intelligence, free will, determination—powers that today are often exalted far beyond their true worth. Whether acknowledged or not, these are gifts from God. But above these are the preternatural gifts. These are superior to the gifts of fallen human nature but were present in humanity before the Fall and are still found in other creatures of God. For example, the gift of immortality, which angels possess. Alongside this are gifts like knowledge, integrity, and immunity.
Even higher are the supernatural gifts—gifts that surpass the nature of all creatures and are unique to the Divine nature. These include grace and glory.
Through Christ’s death and resurrection, we are made partakers of the Divine nature (by adoption), allowing us to share in these supernatural gifts, namely His grace and glory. Shouldn’t we place more trust in these gifts than in the natural ones so highly valued today?
Spouses, the kingdom of heaven is already here. Let us enjoy it.

Applied to Married Life:

Charles: Darling, a new year is beginning, and I propose a change in our relationship. So far, we’ve tried to heal our wounds and overcome our differences by relying on dialogue, trying to convince each other that one of us is right. But it hasn’t worked. We’ve tried various techniques, therapies, and approaches, and at best, we’ve managed to tolerate each other or carve out separate zones of tranquillity—though not true peace—where we leave each other alone without interfering too much.
Alice: Yes, Charles. Let’s say we’ve reached a kind of strained understanding that works only in phases. But this isn’t what I hoped for in our marriage. It falls far short of my expectations.
Charles: Exactly. I feel the same. We’ve aimed to become one, to be truly united, but we haven’t achieved that. So, I propose we work with a different set of gifts—supernatural gifts that God has given us, the very gifts for which He came into the world: to make communion between us possible. I’m talking about the grace of God. Let’s rely on Him, the sacraments, prayer, and the grace of our sacrament in our mutual self-giving. Love is by far the strongest force in the universe, with infinite power, and we must draw on it. Don’t you agree?
Alice: I think that’s brilliant. It’s the best plan for this year, and it fills me with hope.

Mother,

Full of Grace, you truly trusted in the most precious gifts. You knew how to make the most of God’s greatest gift through your Son. Praise be to the Lord, who has brought us supernatural gifts to lead us to glory. Amen.