Tuesday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time
Christian Marriage
Liturgical Cycle: A | Lectionary Cycle: II
Introduction
Year II. Each sacrament is a sharing in the paschal mystery of Christ: a dying and rising in Christ’s new life. So is marriage. Genuine love in marriage is a reflection of Christ’s love – with each partner living the life of Christ, dying to selfishness, rising to deeper, creative and serving love. Ephesians says the marriage covenant reflects God’s love for his people and, at the same time, Christ’s love for his Church. Then, under the influence of the socio-cultural thinking and structures of his time, he continues to draw a parallel between Christ as head of his Church and the husband as the head of his wife and the family, a parallel which is hard to accept in contemporary thought.
Gospel. The kingdom of God must grow among us, like a seed growing into a tree, like flour transformed into bread by the yeast. But growth means change and going ahead, marching forward, and this cannot happen without change and saying goodbye to the past and even to the present, to walk forward in hope toward the future. This brings the pain of separation, of giving up something familiar, but also the joy of knowing that we are on the way with the Lord.
Opening Prayer
Lord God,
source and model of all love,
you cause the paths of life
of men and women to cross
and to discover one another
as partners in life.
May their love be genuine and creative
and strong enough to survive
the differences and trials
that are part of life.
Let it be patient, understanding,
forgiving and lasting,
as is the love that you have shown us
in Jesus Christ our Lord.
First Reading
Be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Husband and Wife
Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord.
The husband is the head of his wife, just as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is also the Savior.
And as the church submits to Christ, so should a wife submit in everything to her husband.
As for you, husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.
He cleansed her and made her holy through baptism in the word.
Because he desired a radiant church—without stain, wrinkle, or blemish—but holy and blameless, he had to prepare and present her to himself.
Similarly, husbands should love their wives as they love their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.
And no one hates his own body; instead, he nurtures and cares for it. That is exactly what Christ does for the Church
since we are members of his body.
For this reason, a man will leave his father and mother and be united with his wife, and the two will become one flesh.
This is a very great mystery, and I am referring to Christ and the church.
As for you, let each one love his wife as himself, and let the wife respect her husband.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (1a) Blessed are those who fear the Lord.
Blessed are you who fear the LORD,
who walk in his ways!
For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork;
blessed shall you be, and favored.
R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord.
Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine
in the recesses of your home;
Your children like olive plants
around your table.
R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord.
Behold, thus is the man blessed
who fears the LORD.
The LORD bless you from Zion:
may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life.
R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord.
Alleluia Verse
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth;
You have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
And Jesus continued:
“What is the kingdom of God like? To what shall I compare it?”
Imagine someone planting a mustard seed in his garden. The seed grows into a small tree, providing shelter for the birds of the air in its branches.
And Jesus said again:
“What is the kingdom of God like?
Imagine a woman who has taken yeast and hidden it in three measures of flour until it is all leavened.”
Prayers of the Faithful
– For the Church, the bride of Christ, that she may always be faithful to the message of the gospel and the liberating love of Christ, we pray:
– For homes built on unselfish love, that through them we may understand better all the depth of God’s love, we pray:
– For the young preparing for marriage, that they may learn from life that the depth and beauty of love rest on generosity and sharing, we pray;
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God,
bread tastes good
and wine rejoices
when they are shared
as signs of friendship and love.
Break for us the bread of life
and pour for us the wine of happiness
of Jesus, your Son,
that your people may bear together
the burdens of life
and share its joys
by the strength of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Our God and Father,
you have renewed in this eucharist
your covenant of love with your people.
In the name of this covenant we ask of you:
let all love among us
and the union of marriage
between husbands and wives
reflect a bit the tender warmth,
the respect and the inventive ways
of your love for us.
Keep loving us in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Blessing
Marriage is a great mystery of love. Love is not mere sentiment, not just feeling, but the giving of oneself. It is patterned after the love of Christ, who gave himself and did not measure his love. He simply gave himself to us. May our married couples also give themselves to one another and to their children, with the blessing of almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
REFLECTIONS
Christian Marriage
Luke 13:18–21
In today’s Gospel, Jesus compares the kingdom of God to a mustard seed and a small amount of yeast. Both seem insignificant at first, yet each produces something far greater than anyone might expect. The mustard seed grows into a bush where birds find shelter, while the yeast quietly transforms an entire batch of dough.
God’s work often begins quietly. We may long for dramatic results, visible success, or immediate change, but the kingdom frequently grows through hidden acts of faithfulness: a kind word, a child encouraged, a stranger welcomed, a person visited, or a difficult truth spoken with love.
The seed grows beneath the soil, unseen. The yeast disappears into the flour, yet its work continues. In the same way, our prayers, sacrifices, and small acts of love may seem unnoticed, but God uses them to bring healing and hope into lives we may never fully see.
Do not despise small beginnings. Offer God what you have—a little time, a simple kindness, a faithful prayer, or the courage to begin again. We do not need to measure the growth each day. Our task is to plant, knead, serve, and trust. God gives the increase.
A small act of love may become shelter for someone who is weary. A quiet witness may change the atmosphere of a family, parish, or workplace. Through ordinary people and humble efforts, God continues to transform the world.
Prayer: God of hidden growth, receive the small good I offer today and transform it into shelter, hope, and blessing for others. Amen.