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Gospel: Matthew 9: 14-15
The disciples of John approached Jesus and said,
“Why do we and the Pharisees fast much,
but your disciples do not fast?”
Jesus answered them, “Can the wedding guests mourn
as long as the bridegroom is with them?
The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them,
and then they will fast.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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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 will always be with 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 highs and lows.
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The same is true in the spiritual life. We experience highs and lows, times of penance and times of celebration.
In the Gospel, for example, Jesus refers to himself as the “bridegroom,” meaning being around him brings the same type of joy that being at a wedding brings. It’s a time of celebration.
But in the very next verse, he warns his disciples that the “bridegroom” will be taken away from them; his death will usher in a period of penance.
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This season of Lent may bring its own highs and lows. While dealing with the stress of COVID, we’re also invited to embrace prayer, fasting, and charity.
If we want to celebrate the high of Easter, then first we must journey with the Lord through this valley of 40 days.
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But just like a marriage, we will never be alone. The Lord is with us.
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Image credits: (1) Integrated Catholic Life (2) Jean-Hippolyte Flandrin (3) Lord’s Guidance