Matt. 9:15 “Can the wedding guests mourn as long
as the bridegroom is with them? 

What a celebration a wedding is. Family and friends coming together to share in the love between a couple, praying with them and encouraging them in their new life together. There is a contagious feeling of joy as we look upon the face of a bridegroom as he is watching his bride come closer to him step by step down the aisle. You can see it in his eyes, eyes that may be filling a bit with tears. It’s obvious from the smile breaking across his face that he can see in her his future, and he can’t wait for it to begin. And the bride appears to be walking straight into the arms of her beloved whom she knows will care for her and protect her. Her smile matches his as they share a knowing look. 

Then the ceremony is over, and the party begins. Everyone at the reception is feasting on delicious food, enjoying conversations and catching up with others, the laughter filling the room and mingling with the music. Couples are dancing in each other’s arms. The room is a place of celebration and love because the bridegroom and his bride are there and together their love fills the space and the hearts of everyone present. 

When Jesus walked this earth with his disciples, I can only imagine that their joy must have been similar to this. They had the Bridegroom with them and they were the bride. This was a time to celebrate because they were in the presence of the Lord. The Lord who showed them deep love, who listened to their hearts, and who gazed at them with eyes filled with a future together. They must have looked at Him in return with eyes of wonder at the gift He was. How much laughter and joy must have filled the moments with Jesus as they celebrated the miracles, the lives changed, the power of the lessons they were learning. How could it be any different when they were in the presence of the Lord?

We too are in His presence, though it looks a little different. We fast during Lent not to mourn the loss of Jesus, but to remove worldly distractions that keep us from seeing Him as clearly in our lives as we should. Would it be great to have Jesus, in the flesh, sitting with us at our table sharing a meal or hearing his audible voice telling us that He loves us as He looks deeply into our eyes? Of course, but here is the beauty of our faith. We can sit at the table with Him each time we come to Mass. We can hear His voice telling us He loves us each time we read the Scriptures or hear the words of absolution in the Sacrament of Confession. Let us embrace these next forty days as we would the days drawing closer to our “wedding” and prepare ourselves to be ready to meet our Bridegroom. Look into His eyes as He watches you come closer and closer and see your future reflected there. 

Reflection Questions: Have you ever thought of Christ as our Bridegroom? The scriptures are filled with marriage analogies from Adam and Eve all the way to the wedding feast of the Lamb in Revelation. How can seeing our relationship with the Lord in light of a marriage covenant change how much time you spend with Jesus each day? Does a marriage work if a bride and groom don’t talk or don’t spend time together focused on each other? Let this season of Lent be a time to work on your “marriage” and improve your communication. 

Prayer: Beloved Jesus, help me to see how much You love me. Help me to show You how much I love You in return. You are waiting patiently for me in the Sacraments of Confession and the Eucharist. Help me to unite myself only to You and use the call to fast as an opportunity to let go of the things that distract me from our love story. Amen.