The readings this Sunday all contain a manifestation of God: to the prophet Isaiah, to the psalmist, to the apostles and five hundred after the Resurrection, and by the Lake of Gennesaret. In all of these instances, the recipients of God’s revelation experience a degree of trepidation and inadequacy. God reveals Himself to ordinary people in ordinary situations; like to the fishermen, Simon Peter and the sons of Zebedee and to all married people too.
- God meets us in ordinary ways and through ordinary events in our lives. He seeks out the poor of spirit and pure of heart. He reveals His closeness to us in our distress. In your daily lives as couples, do you have eyes to recognize God’s presence in and among you? How can your eyes be opened in faith to His grace?
- God’s presence is transformative. Do married people allow Him to transform their lives, our marriages, our families? How has God transformed your lives as a couple with the grace of the sacrament of marriage or with the help of the other sacraments?
In the first reading, the prophet Isaiah hears the voice of the Lord that says, “Whom shall I send?” He responds, “Here I am, send me!” God summons us to respond to His grace. He asks us to bear His love to the world. His calling comes in many forms. Many are called to the vocation of marriage. It is a calling to love as God loves.
In the second reading, St. Paul speaks of the Gospel that he was sent to preach. Those called to marriage can preach the Gospel with their lives of dedication and fidelity. Like the call to the priesthood or to consecrated life, marriage is a calling. It is a form of love and service, witness, and sacrifice. The promises made to one another were taken before God who calls us to ongoing faithfulness and generosity. How do you individually and together as a couple nourish your response to the vocation of marriage? How do you bear witness to the Gospel in your marriage?
In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus instructs Simon to “put out into deep water” and lower his nets. Simon had fished all night and had caught nothing. He may have shrugged off or ignored Jesus’s words in frustration. However, he chooses to believe that this instruction is meaningful and meant to be obeyed. His faith and obedience are rewarded with an unexpected number of fish. Every couple experiences moments of distress, frustration, and difficulty. It requires a great deal of faith and fortitude to “put out into the deep”. What are the challenges that try your patience and perseverance as a couple? Perhaps it is illness, a career change, a difficult teenager? How is Christ asking you to ‘put out into the deep’ and trust in Him?
Remember that Christ is the bridegroom and the Church is His bride. As he sacrificed and lives for the good of His bride, so should married people strive to do the same.
God Bless,