Lent is certainly a time to fast, pray, and give alms. But a married couple can take it a step further together. It’s a great time to look at your relationship and make adjustments; to question certain assumptions, expectations and behaviors; to hear the call of the Holy Spirit, who invites married couples to become living signs of divine love.
The perfect time for a marvelous conjugal springtime
A real Lenten sacrifice is seen in the tired spouse who takes the time to listen to their partner who has a need to talk, or who stops working in the evening to watch a movie or sit on the edge of a child’s bed and talk at length with him. It is witnessed in the spouse who has decided to refrain from making all those little daily reprimands for minor faults, or who is trying, joyfully and in no way resigned, to respond to the reasonable desires of his or her spouse.
The spouse who does not hesitate to ask for forgiveness for mistakes, who finds the path of expressed and disinterested tenderness, or who makes a gesture to try to renew the distended ties with his or her parents or in-laws, lives a fruitful Lent. The couple who restricts their lifestyle to give money to those in need lives a fruitful Lent.
But it is up to each spouse to know, ultimately, what the Lord is asking of them and what they may be postponing or avoiding. In fact, it is less a matter of questioning than of making these unused riches, these marvelous potentialities that are languishing in the heart of each one of us, come to fruition. Yes, “this is the right time” for a gentle, timely reshuffle. For a new beginning, for a Paschal resurrection … for a marvelous marital springtime!
Denis Sonet
Read more:
How to use Lent to improve your marriage
And today we celebrate...