Gospel of the Day
A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Luke 6:12–19
In those days, Jesus went out to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God.
When day came, He called His disciples and chose twelve of them, whom He also named apostles: Simon, whom He named Peter, and Andrew his brother; James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon called the Zealot, Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became the traitor.
He came down with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of His disciples was there and a great multitude of people from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coastal region around Tyre and Sidon, who had come to hear Him and to be healed of their diseases. Those troubled by impure spirits were cured, and the whole crowd sought to touch Him, because power came out from Him and healed them all.
Pray, Choose, Heal
First pray, then choose, and finally heal. This is also what we must do…
First, pray: only through prayer can spouses discover the will of the Lord in each moment of their lives and discern what God desires for their marriage.
Then, choose: on the one hand, we must recognise that the Lord has chosen us for this great vocation and that God will equip us for it. On the other hand, we must choose to love at all times. Let us not remain focused on our spouse’s faults and mistakes, but look beyond them, seeing who God wants them to become and helping them reach that.
Finally, heal: we must allow the Lord to heal us and, at the same time, become instruments of healing as we build up our marriage.
They say that “the family that prays together, stays together”; and so we must do the same — let us place God at the centre of our family and pray together.
Applied to Married Life
Paul: Rachel, I’ve been asked if we’d like to help with the next Proyecto Amor Conyugal retreat… Honestly, I’m not sure — we’re a bit of a mess. We’re far from perfect, and we’re not exactly overflowing with free time either.
Rachel: I understand what you mean, Paul… What if we bring it to prayer? Let’s keep this intention throughout the day and offer it at Holy Mass. I’m sure that when we pray with the Word of God tonight, things will become clearer.
(At the end of the day…)
Paul: Lord, thank You for this wife who constantly leads me to You! How beautiful to see that before making any decision, Jesus always spoke with the Father so that He could show Him the way.
Rachel: You see how simple it is — it’s not about being the “best” in human terms, but about being willing for the Lord to equip us. With much prayer, it won’t be us acting, but the Holy Spirit within us, making us a reflection of His love.
Paul: Sometimes I struggle to see that God is calling us to something greater and I stay stuck in what we are now. Let’s give thanks to the Lord and ask Him to help us persevere in prayer.
Mother,
How much we need you as an example to remain always in harmony with what God desires!
Praised be the Lord!