In today’s Gospel, we are told that Jesus sent out seventy-two disciples, two by two, to proclaim the Kingdom of God. What’s striking is this: they were not part of the inner circle of the Twelve Apostles. They were ordinary disciples—people like you and me.

And He didn’t send them alone. He sent them in pairs, because the mission is not meant to be done in isolation—but in communion.

That same wisdom of Jesus applies beautifully to married couples and families today. The family is not just a private institution—it is the domestic Church, the most basic and essential unit of the wider Church.

1. The Family: The Domestic Church

The Catechism of the Catholic Church calls the family the “domestic Church.” That means the family is not just part of the Church—it is the Church, lived out at home.

When a husband and wife live their faith together, when they raise their children in love and prayer, when they forgive and serve one another daily—they are not just “good Catholics,” they are living missionaries of the Gospel.

2. Sent Two by Two: The Mission of Marriage

Jesus sent the disciples in pairs—and so He sends husband and wife on mission together. They are not only life partners, but partners in the mission of evangelization.

Your kitchen table is your altar. Your evening prayer is your liturgy. Your relationship is a reflection of Christ’s love for the Church.

You don’t need to be perfect. You just need to be faithful and available. That’s what the seventy-two were.

3. Evangelizing the Neighborhood: A Family’s Mission Field

If every family sees their home and neighborhood as their mission field, imagine the transformation.

• Welcoming a lonely neighbour

• Sharing meals and sharing Jesus with others

• Praying together in public without shame

• Teaching children to love and serve

Every baptized Christian—young or old, married or single—is called to proclaim Christ. The Church mission work is not only through priests and religious, but also through every single member, especially families. A parish full of evangelizing families becomes a powerful missionary Church.

4. The Church Exists to Evangelize (Evangelii Nuntiandi, Paul VI)

Pope Paul VI powerfully reminded us:

“The Church exists in order to evangelize.”

If our families are only maintaining faith inside the home but not reaching outside, we are preserving, not proclaiming. But when families evangelize other families—through witness, invitation, and service—the Church grows, not just in number, but in strength.

Imagine this:

• A family touches another family.

• That family returns to the Church.

• Their children grow in faith.

• A new generation of believers is born.

That’s how a local Church becomes alive and radiant.

 5. Every Member Matters

Sometimes we mistakenly think “the Church” means the priest, the nun, the bishop. Yes, they have their roles. But the real Church is all of us—baptized, called, and sent.

The parish priest cannot reach every corner of the community—but families can. Through the home, the Gospel becomes visible, tangible, and believable.

You don’t need a pulpit—you just need a door that opens, hands that serve, and a heart that welcomes.

6. From Today Onward… A Commitment

So, dear husbands and wives, dear families:
From today onward, let us reclaim our mission.

• Pray together each day.

• Invite someone into your home or to church.

• Speak about your faith without fear.

• Support one another in holiness.

• Be the light that shines in your street, in your school, in your society.

The Church is strongest when its families are on fire with the Gospel.

Conclusion: Two by Two, Family by Family

Jesus sends out His disciples two by two—not alone, but together.
He does the same today. He sends husbands and wives. He sends families. He sends you.

You may not wear vestments or habits, but you wear the love of Christ in your everyday life.

You are missionaries. You are Church. You are sent.

“The harvest is rich…”
Let’s begin with our homes—and bring in the harvest, family by family.

Closing Prayer

Lord Jesus,
You sent out ordinary people to bring extraordinary hope.
Today, we thank You for the vocation of marriage and family.
Strengthen husbands and wives in love.
Make their homes places of peace, prayer, and mission.
Let every family become a light that draws others to You.
And let our Church be renewed—
not only by programs and preachers,
but by the quiet, faithful witness of Your people—
sent two by two, home by home, soul by soul.
Amen.