Today’s Gospel has Mary of Magdalene mistaking Jesus as being the gardener, but upon hearing Jesus’ voice she comes to recognize Him and she proclaims “Rabbouni!”, which means “Teacher.” Jesus was often referred to as being the Teacher, He was the Master Teacher; He never hesitated to use teaching moments to convey whatever lesson was intended. We know from our own life experiences that readiness to learn most often hinges on one’s life events and how attuned we may be with teaching moments or what is going on about us. For instance Jesus often used moments like the storm on the Sea of Galilee to enable the Apostles to better appreciate the lesson of faith; the panic and uncertainty of the moment served to enable the Apostles to better understand the need for Faith in their lives. Life always has teaching moments to offer us, but sometimes we get so caught up in the minutiae of daily life that we miss out on whatever lesson awaits us. Appreciating our partners, other couples examples, gratitude, apologies, sharing—how can these things be teaching moments for our marriage? The life experiences we share with our marriage partner contain teaching moments for us if we are willing to give our attention to those moments and if we are open to learning. Each day we get up opportunities await us. Each day there are teaching moments awaiting us, other couples with years of marriage and experience have much to offer. Each day we awaken along side someone whom we love very much, do we take a moment to recognize how complex and distinct this person truly is? Do we ever notice the glow of joy and enchantment when we engage in a random act of kindness for our spouse? If we did, certainly we would do it more often. Do we ever notice the beam of appreciation that appears when we share with our partner how grateful we are for their presence in our lives? Think of the uplifting feelings that come with forgiveness and the sense of openness that comes with having the weight of wrongs lifted from our shoulders when we are forgiven. Recall the sense of harmony and the merriment that comes with sharing dreams with the one you love. So what are you waiting for? Share a dream with someone special tonight. Do we ever notice the sense of intimacy and trust that comes with joining one another spiritually, or the sense of security that comes with knowing we can count on the other one? Commitment and reliability mean a lot. Ask any couple who’ve been married for an appreciable length of time and they’ll likely indicate that the secret to a lasting marriage has a lot to do with commitment. Life is full of teaching moments and we need not look any further than our own back yard. Make a great day!
Today we recall the good life, gifts, and works of Pope Saint Cletus.
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