GOSPEL OF THE DAY
From the Gospel according to Luke 17:11-19
As Jesus continued his journey to Jerusalem,
he travelled through Samaria and Galilee.
As he was entering a village, ten lepers met him.
They stood at a distance from him and raised their voices, saying,
“Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!”
And when he saw them, he said,
“Go show yourselves to the priests.”
As they were going they were cleansed.
And one of them, realizing he had been healed,
returned, glorifying God in a loud voice;
and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him.
He was a Samaritan.
Jesus said in reply,
“Ten were cleansed, were they not?
Where are the other nine?
Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?”
Then he said to him, “Stand up and go;
your faith has saved you.”
The word of the Lord
The Pillar of Civilization
Today we celebrate the way of life of Mary, the true pillar of what Saint John Paul II called the “civilization of love.”
A young woman who learned to love by loving—who, by becoming a servant and embodying the Word of her Son in daily life, not only lived in truth but lived with the Truth and the Life.
This is the path to which we spouses are called in marriage: the true school of love, the “Sanctuary of Life.” There we learn to walk with the Truth and the Life among us, becoming the seed of a civilization of men and women with dignity, created in the image of God, always treated as an end and never as a means.
Moved by a self-giving love, not merely emotional. A love where we learn generosity and forgiveness, to share rather than hoard, to give ourselves rather than possess.
This is the civilization we are called to build: our identity, our true “ID,” is Christ.
No appointment is needed to meet Him—He’s available 24 hours a day.
Applied to Married Life
Alicia: Love, yesterday I was listening to a priest’s testimony, and I was deeply moved when he said, “God doesn’t choose the best, but those He wants.” Even though I’ve heard it many times before, yesterday it truly touched my heart.
David: What do you mean?
Alicia: That God’s logic is one of pure gift. I feel like in our home, a worldly logic often prevails—where efficiency or personal interest tends to dominate our intentions.
David: That’s deep. I think I understand. In my case, I realise I project expectations onto our children—expecting them to be a certain way so they can “succeed” in the world. That influences how I treat them and what I demand from them.
Alicia: Exactly. And I sometimes overprotect them. Fear kills the miracle. We need to learn to see them as God sees them—and at the same time, show them through our marriage the freedom that only God gives. Only He knows the truth of our hearts.
David: Shall we pray today’s Gospel together and see what He wants to reveal to us?
Mother,
Teach us to stand in truth by embodying the Word of Your Son. May He be forever blessed and praised, for by His Blood, He redeemed us.