Go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’
Gospel according to Matthew 10:1–7
At that time: Jesus called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction. The names of the twelve Apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, ‘Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And proclaim as you go, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” ’
The Gospel of the Lord
Your Kingdom Has Come!
My good Jesus, thank You for showing us the way.
You tell us that the Kingdom of Heaven has come! Lord, I believe in You. I know that You are all Love, that You know all things and that nothing is impossible for You. If You say that the Kingdom of Heaven has already come, then it is so. Through Your redemption we can begin to live Your Kingdom here on earth even now. How wonderful, Lord! I want to live it now! But what about all the difficulties and suffering? You promised us the Kingdom, but You never promised that there would be no hardships. The difference is that, with You, difficulties and problems are faced in a different way: they are embraced, and they do not take away Your peace.
So, what must I do to welcome Your Kingdom and begin living it now? First, I must have the humility to recognise that if I am not living the life and marriage that You desire for me, it is not because of others, but because of my own self-love. Second, I must desire to grow in intimacy with You and discover Your infinite Love. I must make daily prayer a priority so that I may come to know You and know myself. And third, I must persevere along this path of prayer and the purification of my self-love through concrete acts.
With complete trust that You will accomplish this, You will fill me more and more with Your Love, so that I may begin to live the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth.
Applied to Married Life:
Luke: Lucy, these words of Christ really make me stop and think. Has His Kingdom truly already come? And what about all the suffering in the world?
Lucy: Christ has redeemed us—He has saved us! Through Him we are children of God! He has given us everything we need to begin living His Kingdom here on earth. The problem is that we don’t let Him. We’re so full of self-love, our own ideas, our need to be right… and that leaves no room for Him to reign in our hearts.
Luke: I have such a deep desire for Him to be the only King of my heart, to guide my whole life. Will you help me? I can’t do it on my own. I find it hard to rise above my problems and to persevere… Jesus is so good, so wonderful, that I want to let Him be the One who leads me.
Lucy: How wonderful it is to hear you say that! Let’s give it everything we’ve got. He is all Love and He knows everything, so let’s seek only to do His Will. If we follow Him, we won’t go wrong. What do you think about starting tomorrow by praying together first thing in the morning and going to Mass? Then we can each make a daily resolution and help one another to keep it. How does that sound?
Luke: You’re amazing! Let’s do it!
Mother,
Please help me to do the will of Your Son, and His will alone, turning away from my own. Blessed and praised be God!