Gospel
At that time: As Jesus and his disciples were going along the road, someone said to him, ‘I will follow you wherever you go.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.’ To another he said, ‘Follow me.’ But he said, ‘Lord, let me first go and bury my father.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.’ Yet another said, ‘I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.’ Jesus said to him, ‘No one who puts his hand to the plough and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.’
“The Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” How striking, Lord—how sad!
How many times, reading this Gospel, I have stayed on other phrases, like “let the dead bury their own dead.” Why do I linger there? Because I look at things from my own side, thinking my way is right. What blindness, Lord! Now I see: You speak those words to warn me not to live with one foot in the world and one foot with You, because then I’ll still belong to the world and not to You. And Lord, I want to be with You. You are so good—pure Love! I dare to ask You: lay Your head upon me. I want to rest my head on Your Heart like St John. I want to do only Your Will. I know that will make You smile. And I want to make You smile. I want to console You in my small way. That means dying to myself—and yes, that hurts. But Lord, everything for You. There is nothing greater. Here is where Heaven begins, where salvation and true Happiness begin. A thousand thanks, Lord.
Applied to Married Life
Emily: I’m exhausted. What a season this has been! I didn’t know we were capable of so much.
Oliver: Yes, but I’m so happy. It’s amazing to see so many couples regaining hope, discovering the Lord and watching their families transformed. I remember when I used to object to all of this. It seemed so reasonable to think you were overdoing it, that daily prayer wasn’t necessary, that we didn’t need to give up so many dinners… Now I understand. My heart was in the world and that held me captive—and blind. I could only see myself and was missing everything.
Emily: It was hard for me at the beginning too. Until I threw myself fully into prayer, the sacraments, and trying to live it all out. I remember doing it because I saw what those other couples had—their joy, their way of looking at things. I wanted that too.
Oliver: Well, you’ve achieved it! You should see the radiance in your face when you’re speaking with the couples we mentor.
Emily: It’s because the Lord is amazing. It’s incredible what He does in our lives when we let Him. I love hearing you speak to them about God, about love, about self-giving.
Oliver (laughing): Who would have thought? It’s wonderful! Let’s keep giving ourselves more—we still have so far to go. How much I love you.
Emily: And I love you even more!
Mother,
please help me to give myself completely—to go all in with prayer and the sacraments, with formation, and to make it life. You have so much prepared for us if we follow You. Praised be Your Son!