From the Gospel according to Mark 1:14-20

After John had been arrested,
Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the Gospel of God:
“This is the time of fulfillment.
The Kingdom of God is at hand.
Repent, and believe in the Gospel.”

As he passed by the Sea of Galilee,
he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea;
they were fishermen.
Jesus said to them,
“Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
Then they left their nets and followed him.
He walked along a little farther
and saw James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John.
They too were in a boat mending their nets.
Then he called them.
So they left their father Zebedee in the boat
along with the hired men and followed him.

Jesus begins by saying: “The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand.”
In marriage, we sometimes fall into the trap of waiting for “better times” or longing for “times gone by”. Marriage is not a goal to be reached, but a living sacrament where God dwells in the present time of husband and wife.

The conversion to which Jesus calls us is not merely about “behaving well”; it is the redemption of our gaze, the redemption of the heart. It is moving from seeing one’s spouse as someone who “should satisfy me” to seeing him or her as a gift, conceived by God from all eternity. It is a conversion that allows purity of intention towards one’s spouse to grow in our hearts.

The apostles left their nets to follow Jesus. In marriage, these “nets” represent everything that entangles us and prevents us from being fully present. Sometimes the nets are excessive work, the overuse of our phones, or attachments to our family of origin that do not allow the new family to grow. To follow Jesus in the vocation of marriage means learning to “let go” in order to “embrace” the project of love that God has prepared for husband and wife.

Eleanor and Charles. They have had a tense week, full of work commitments, barely having looked each other in the eye. One evening, after putting the children to bed…

Eleanor: Charles, tomorrow I have to get to the office earlier, so I won’t be able to help with breakfast. I’m overwhelmed with this report.
Charles: Eleanor, the Gospel at Mass today spoke to me about this being the time to leave our nets and follow Jesus. I feel that our “nets” right now are these screens. They are trapping us and drawing us apart.
Eleanor: I know. But if I don’t finish this, I feel insecure. These are my nets—they provide for us—but you’re right, they’re suffocating me and distancing us.
Charles: Jesus called the fishermen in the middle of their work, not when they were resting. He is calling us now, in the midst of this tiredness. I’d like to suggest a “conversion”: let’s stop for today. We’ll have something simple for supper and pray together, sharing what the Gospel is saying to us. Our unity is more important than that report.
Eleanor: You’re right. “Leaving the nets” today means letting go of worrying about what they’ll think at the office, and choosing instead to build that shared intimacy which grows every time we pray together.

Mother,

Help us to prioritise love and the presence of God in our home. Praised be God!