From the Gospel according to John 14: 1–6
Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going. Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
From Eternity
Jesus confronts the restlessness of our hearts with the promise of eternal life. And how small the problems that overwhelm us so much today will seem when we look back on them from eternity! Perhaps my husband is obsessed with keeping everything tidy, or perhaps I have to give up my weekend plans because my wife needs to look after my mother-in-law… How many little things steal our peace and cause us suffering! And often, it is because our vision is too limited, because we become trapped in our own expectations and forget to lift our eyes towards the promise Jesus has made to us: a dwelling place in the Father’s house. But how do we get there? Our eternity is at stake in the small and great decisions we make each day, especially in the way we love. And thankfully, Jesus tells us quite clearly: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” What a wonderful discovery it is that we do not have to look for this way far away from our everyday lives! In the Heart of Jesus, every act of self-denial, every gesture of patience, every opportunity to forgive, and every small sacrifice we make for our spouse can become a step towards heaven. For eternal life does not begin after this life; we begin to taste it here and now, when we allow Jesus to transform our hearts and the way we love. And so, hand in hand with our spouse, and often precisely thanks to them, we begin to enter into the supernatural life in the midst of our everyday routines. Our marriage becomes a path to heaven!
Applied to married life
Laura: Peter, another one of my parents’ carers has left, so this weekend I have to stay at their house again.
Peter: Oh, no! And you were so looking forward to taking the dog out to the countryside and enjoying the autumn…
Laura: I feel bad for you. You’ve been so busy all week, and now you have another weekend without being able to make any plans. And on top of that, you don’t even complain! You’re so good!
Peter: I wish I were! Of course, I feel like complaining and rebelling against it, but Jesus is the one who calms me and helps me see things differently. Besides, as our parish priest says, “Another metre added to our little plot in heaven!” Although, when I think about it, we are actually bringing heaven a little closer to earth with every step.
Laura: That’s so true! How beautiful this journey is, in which we discover opportunities to love even in the things that go wrong. And what a gift it is to walk this path together towards heaven!
Mother
Help us to look at every event in our day with our eyes fixed on Jesus, who is the Way, and to discover in the small sacrifices of our marriage an opportunity to love and draw closer to heaven. Praised be God!