Reflection for Wednesday October 1 Memorial of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, Virgin and Doctor of the Church: Luke 9:57-62

Gospel: Luke 9:57-62

As Jesus and his disciples were proceeding on their journey, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”Jesus answered him, “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.”

And to another he said, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, let me go first and bury my father.” But he answered him, “Let the dead bury their dead. But you, go and proclaim the Kingdom of God.” 

And another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say farewell to my family at home.” Jesus answered him, “No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the Kingdom of God.”

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Reflection:

How do we follow the Lord inside the Sacrament of Matrimony? 

We follow the Lord by being faithful to our marriage vows. We know for a fact that the priest who unites husband and wife does so in the person of Jesus Christ. Therefore, the two become one through the Sacrament of Matrimony by the grace of Jesus. 

However, no marriage is truly “made in heaven”; every marriage passes through the fire of trials and tribulations. Yet if we are serious about following the Lord through our sacred vows, we must always find it in our hearts to forgive whatever offenses may be committed against us. 

This means that there should always be a sacred space for forgiveness within the innermost hearts of married couples. No marriage is perfect, for we are all flawed individuals. But by the grace of Jesus, we are united in the Sacrament of Matrimony, and it is in Him that our weaknesses are made strong. 

Therefore, forgiveness should be one of the essential requirements for us as husband and wife if we truly desire to follow the Lord. If the Lord is present in our marriage and if we are sincere in our desire to walk with Him, then love, forgiveness, and humility will flourish in our hearts—until we breathe our last. 

In our own marriage, are we willing to make forgiveness, love, and humility the daily expression of our faith, so that Christ may always be alive in our homes? — Marino J. Dasmarinas