Gospel

‘I assign to you, as my Father assigned to me, a kingdom.’
Luke 22:24-30

At that time: A dispute also arose among the Apostles, as to which of them was to be regarded as the greatest. And Jesus said to them, ‘The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors. But not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves. For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But I am among you as the one who serves.
  ‘You are those who have stayed with me in my trials, and I assign to you, as my Father assigned to me, a kingdom, that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.’

The Gospel of the Lord

The Lord surprises us.

How often the Lord surprises us! And how often He would like to surprise us, but we do not let Him! The initiative comes from Him, but we need to allow ourselves to be transformed by His grace. From God we receive the call, the vocation, the Faith, the strength, the grace… but it is our task to welcome them and live them. When we abandon ourselves to Him and set aside our own ways of thinking, He acts and the impossible becomes possible. Then we can say, like Peter: Lord, depart from me, for I am a sinful man. Because we see His power and greatness and our nothingness. And, as He did with Peter, He also says to us: do not be afraid, take courage, get up, I am with you. In our marriage too, we must allow the Lord to get into our boat, and we will obtain a miraculous catch, something unimaginable: a holy marriage. God always fills us to overflowing. Blessed be God and blessed be the Sacrament of Matrimony

Applied to Married Life:

Margaret and Jonathan have been distant from one another for several days. Every time they try to talk about a problem concerning the children, they end up arguing.
Jonathan: We always end up like this. There’s no way of talking to you.
Margaret: You never listen to me.
They are both tired. They both believe they are right. They both feel that they have already done everything they possibly can.
After a few minutes of silence, Margaret remembers the scene of the miraculous catch of fish and thinks: «Perhaps we are trying to keep our marriage going by our own strength. Perhaps the Lord is asking me to do something that, right now, I do not want to do».
Margaret: I don’t feel like talking right now. I’m hurt and I still think I’m right. But I don’t want things to end like this. Could we ask the Lord to get into our boat?
Jonathan: I don’t feel like it either, and I’m hurt too. And I think you don’t understand how I feel. But… perhaps you’re right. We are trying to solve everything on our own. Let’s turn to prayer, shall we?
Margaret: Lord, we don’t know how to get out of this. We have cast our nets and caught nothing. But if You tell us where to cast them, we want to trust in You.
Jonathan: Margaret, forgive me. Before trying to make you understand my point of view, I should have tried to understand your heart.
Margaret: And you forgive me too. I was more concerned with defending myself than with loving you.
The problem does not magically disappear that night. But something has changed: they have allowed the Lord into their boat. And where before there was only weariness, reproaches and helplessness, a new grace begins to appear: humility, forgiveness and hope. ‎

Mary,
Our Mother. Teach us to live alongside Jesus at every moment. Blessed are you, Mother