From the Gospel according to Luke 9:22-25
Jesus said to his disciples: “The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised.”
Then he said to all, “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. What profit is there for one to gain the whole world
yet lose or forfeit himself?”
The Gospel of Lord
The Great Difference
In the different degrees of love, there comes a moment when the lover loves what their beloved loves. Today, Christ, my Beloved, tells me that He will suffer greatly, be rejected by the most “respectable” people, and be crucified for my spouse. Then He asks me if I love my spouse enough to do what He does. His resurrection will come afterward—the triumph of God’s glory—but am I willing to follow in His footsteps first?
Applied to Married Life:
Will: Lorraine, I’m experiencing the great difference between simply living with you and being willing to give my life for you. It’s a massive difference, only smilar to following Christ to the cross.
Lorrain: That certainly seems like a huge step, Will. But that also means a lot of suffering because of me, doesn’t it? Who will sustain you?
Will: The Lord. To live this degree of love, one must go through the different stages of prayer with Christ until reaching the “prayer of stillness”, where you allow Him to work in you. The Lord strips you of everything until you are ready to give yourself in silence, even in rejection and difficulties, without complaint. This is a work only He can do.
Lorrain: So, no matter how much we try, this is not something within our power. It’s about progressing in intimacy with Him.
Will: Exactly. There’s no other way.
Mother,
We must love Jesus greatly to be willing to be despised and to give ourselves with Him. We love Him dearly, but give us more of His love. May He be praised forever.