Feast of Saint Luke the Evangelist

Good morning. Today’s Gospel offers some helpful advice for young couples discerning marriage. It can be a real struggle at times to know whether the person you are dating is the right person for you. Jesus assures us that if we are prayerful and attentive, His divine wisdom will aid us in our decision making. There is a saying, it is unclear who to attribute it to, but it is as follows: “A woman’s heart should be so lost in God that a man needs to seek Him in order to find her.” I think this is wonderful advice for all young people to follow. If the person you are looking to spend the rest of your life with is a prayerful person you are certainly off to a good start in your discernment process. Much as Jesus instructs His disciples in today’s Gospel, when dating someone seriously you need to ask yourself how peaceful do you feel when you give some thought to marrying that person? The most important decision each of us makes in life is to walk with God. If we choose someone to marry, it needs to be someone who will walk together with us in that journey. It is important to know that this decision to marry is huge, but with careful consideration and prayer the Holy Spirit will help guide you for a life long journey which is forever changing. The two most important things you’ll need to pack for this journey are a firm sense of commitment and a solid relationship with God. Our late Pope John Paul II in his book Love and Responsibility offers some very solid advice regarding this decision to marry: “The essential reason for choosing a person must be personal, not merely sexual. Life will determine the value of a choice and the value and true magnitude of love. It is put to the test most severely when the sensual and emotional reactions themselves grow weaker, and sexual values as such lose their effect. Nothing then remains except the value of the person, and the inner truth about the love of those connected comes to light. If their love is a true gift of self, so that they belong to the other, it will not only survive but grow stronger, and sink deeper roots. Whereas if it was never more than a synchronization of sensual and emotional experiences it will lose its raison d’être [reason for existence] and the persons involved in it will suddenly find themselves in a vacuum. We must never forget that only when love between human beings is put to the test can its true value be seen.” Are you still wondering? Well, take the Love Test. Make a great day!

Today we recall the good life, gifts, and works of Saint Luke the Evangelist.