July3rd.   Sunday 14C.  At the beginning of the month for grandparents and the elderly Fr Patrick first called up those couples who had been married for 40 years and more and asked some of them to share how being faithful in good times and in bad had deepened their relationship with one another and with God.  Mike and Margaret had been married 52 years and were well known as, unlike many couples who worked separately, they had worked together for years in marriage and family ministry. Fr thanked them and promised the congregation that he would call on other grandparents during the month, even those who lost a partner or had never had a husband or wife.   

Scripture:   At that time the Lord appointed 72 others, and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to come. He said to them, “the harvest is plentiful but the labourers are few.” From Luke 10:1-20. Pope Francis: Although the body ages, it still expresses that personal identity that first won our heart.    Even if others can no longer see the beauty of that identity, a spouse continues to see it with the eyes of love. The marriage bond finds new forms of expression and constantly seeks new ways to grow in strength.   AL 164