From the Gospel according to Matthew 16:13-19

When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippihe asked his disciples,“Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah,still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”Simon Peter said in reply,“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah.For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter,and upon this rock I will build my Church,and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven.Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven;and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
Sure! Here’s a paraphrased version of the text in more accessible and contemporary language, while keeping the original meaning and tone:

Listen closely.

You are the Messiah, the Savior, the Son of God.
Lord, and who am I to you?
And I pray that you say to me:
“You are a child of God in me, and your mission is the same as mine. I love you endlessly, and I want you to be united with me. Your purpose is to give yourself with me, to seek only the Father’s will, to love as I love… and together, we will help save the world.”
But Lord, that sounds too big for me!
“It’s supposed to be! Because you are our child, a child of God, meant to live forever with us, called to love as we do. So why wouldn’t your calling be something great?”
So that’s what you’re inviting me to! How amazing! And… how do I do it?
“Listen to my Word, live it out, let go of your ego, carry your daily cross, and follow me. With prayer, the sacraments, and sacrifice, trust that we’ll do this together.”

Applied to married life:

Ana: I can not take It anymore.  I keep trying, but it’s not working. He doesn’t listen, does his own thing, and leaves me to deal with everything. I’m overwhelmed. And now our kids are starting to act like him too—ignoring everything. I don’t know what to do anymore—maybe give him an ultimatum or stop doing my part for a while so he sees what it’s like…

Mentors: Ana, I’m really sorry you’re going through this situation.  Please, bring this to the Lord, and to the Virgin Mary—ask your self how would they act in your shoes.

Ana: well they are God and Virgin Mary, And Saint Joseph wasn’t like my husband…

Mentors: That may be true, but we’re all human, we all fail—and still, the Lord loves us, forgives us, waits for us. Please, pray about it. Then we’ll talk.

(The next day, Ana calls back…)

Ana: Thank you so much. I sat at the foot of the Cross and looked at Jesus. He gave me everything—his life, his forgiveness. And I realized he’s asking me to love Juan, to forgive him, and to learn to truly love. I tend to focus too much on myself, but Jesus was all about others. Juan is struggling right now—he’s stressed and doesn’t realize how much I need help. So I’m going to ask for his help gently. And where he can’t reach, I’ll fill in with love. It’ll be hard, because I’m used to thinking about my own needs… but with God’s help, with prayer, the Eucharist, and strength from our marriage sacrament—I believe I can do it.

Mentors: That’s beautiful, Ana. Your kids will see their mom loving their dad even when it’s hard—and that kind of witness is incredibly powerful. Every little act of love you offer “through Christ, with Christ, and in Christ,” through your marriage, has eternal value. It becomes a source of grace and Christ’s love for both of you.

Mother Mary,

Help us listen to your Son and give ourselves as you do—not thinking only of ourselves.
Through Christ, with Him, and in Him.
Praise to Jesus crucified.