Daily Gospel Reflection for May 7, 2021

Join us as we reflect, ponder, and pray together inspired by today's Gospel.

Today's Gospel: John 15:12-17

My wedding ring is a simple gold band without any special gems. But there's more than meets the eye: on the inside is an engraving, so subtle you have to tilt it back and forth to read the small letters. It shows the first names of my husband and I, our wedding date, and the reference for the verse in today’s Gospel: "No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends."

It’s perhaps a heavy verse for a pair of newlyweds to acknowledge on their wedding rings. In this day and age we don’t expect to have to die for our spouse. And yet, as my husband's best friend, I choose to lay down my life a little bit each day, and I notice the moments when he does the same: when he comes home from a long day of work, and starts scrubbing dirty dishes; when I wake up with the baby at night, and still manage to serve breakfast to the older kids with a patient demeanor and cheerful smile. I lay down my pride, my impatience, my rigid way of doing things…I lay it down each day for my friend. On our wedding day we committed to laying down our old lives as single man and woman, and embracing a new life as one. Each day we have plenty of new opportunities to partake in a joint labor of love. As I point my husband towards Heaven and I allow him to do the same, we put each other before ourselves, and attempt to imitate Christ. That simple gold band, plain as it may initially seem, serves as a daily reminder of the true friendship He has called us to live.

Ponder:

How can you imitate Christ in your relationships?

Pray:

Lord, show me the areas in my life that I need to lay down for the sake of others. Give me a generous heart that is grateful for the opportunity to serve.