If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give it to the poor, and you will have a treasure in heaven.

From the Gospel according to Matthew
MT 19:16-22

“Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?”
He answered him, “Why do you ask me about the good? There is only One who is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
He asked him, “Which ones?”
And Jesus replied, “You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; honor your father and your mother; and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
The young man said to him, “All of these I have observed. What do I still lack?”
Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.Then come, follow me.”
When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

The Gospel of the Lord

Perfect Marriage

Love God above all things. That’s the first commandment, and it’s not easy to follow if we consider the consequences it could have on my life. The greatest love is shown when I give up something valuable because of that love. The key is: everything is a gift from God. If God gives it to me, praise be to Him; God takes it away, praise be to Him.

Priests and those who are consecrated give up marriage and family for the Kingdom of Heaven. This high-value sacrifice, made out of love for the only true Spouse, shows the relevance of the gift of celibacy or virginity they’ve received. But what about me as a husband? Am I willing to give up the gift of my marriage out of love for the only Spouse? That’s how you live marriage as a Sacrament of the Spouse’s Love. In this way, a husband who has been abandoned by his spouse can still aspire to live a truly dignified, valuable, fulfilling, and holy marriage out of love for the Spouse, even in the absence of his partner. Let’s not take this privilege away from them. Yes, it’s not a tragedy—it’s a very special privilege that God grants to a few to restore the true value of the Sacrament of Marriage according to God’s love for us.

Applied to married life

Carmel: I’ve realized that I was becoming too attached to our marriage, which is why I was so demanding about your behavior towards me.

David: I have no idea what you’re trying to say.

Carmel: Well, marriage is a vocation that involves giving myself to you out of love for Christ. If I’m putting conditions on our relationship, it stops being about giving out of love for Christ and starts becoming an attachment out of self-love.

David: So that means I should be willing to give up living in true communion with you out of love for Christ.

Carmel: Wanting that communion isn’t bad, but ultimately, the love between us is a gift from God. If we want this love to be perfect, we have to be willing to give up physical love for a greater Love, which is spiritual in our giving ourselves to the true Spouse. Look at the love Christ received in His earthly life, to the point where He was crucified—and we’re talking about the Master of all husbands.

David: With that mindset, there’s no such thing as a bad marriage.

Carmel: Exactly. Spouses who are willing to give up everything are the ones who can live a perfect marriage.

Mother,

Pray for us in our marital love.