Any couple that’s been married for many years can look back and tell you about the joy that marriage brings.
There’s the proposal; the wedding day; the birth of children; anniversaries; and the promise that someone is always at home waiting for you.
Marriage is meant to be a joyful thing.
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But, at times, it can also be quite stressful.
Simply planning your life around another person is hard enough. Then there’s the possibility of financial stress, emotional distance, careers taking center stage, raising children, and unexpected grief.
Most marriages are a mixed bag; there are natural highs and lows.
Perseverance is required.
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The same is true in the spiritual life. There will be highs and lows; perseverance is required.
In the Gospel, for example, Jesus refers to himself as the “bridegroom,” meaning he brings the same type of joy you’d find at a wedding.
Following the Lord is meant to be a joyful thing.
But in the very next verse, Jesus warns his disciples that he will be taken away from them, a prediction of his death.
If they are to remain faithful to God all the days of their lives, then the disciples must accept the joy that comes and persevere through the sorrow.
Like a marriage, there will be highs and lows.
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There’s no doubt we’ve all struggled through this Coronavirus pandemic. Perhaps one of the harder hit areas has been our spiritual lives.
For example, many of us went at least 100 days without going to Mass or confession. Did we regress at all spiritually? Or have we found the grace to push through?
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Much like a marriage, the spiritual life can be a mixed bag; there will be both highs and lows, times of consolation and times of sorrow.
Perseverance is required. If today is hard, stay faithful and hope for a better tomorrow.
