I was sitting with the readings this morning, trying to discern where God was leading me. At first, I thought I was going to reflect on St. Paul’s teaching about being subordinate to one another. But for some reason, it just wasn’t coming together.

Then I noticed a little word in the Gospel.

Jesus compares the Kingdom of God to a mustard seed that, “when it was fully grown,” became a great tree.

When.

That made me go right back to something St. Paul said in the first reading.

“The two shall become one flesh.”

Shall.

And I thought, wow, okay. There’s something here.

It doesn’t say the two are one flesh. It says they shall become one flesh.

Now, I know that through the sacrament of marriage, we become one flesh on our wedding day, much like that mustard seed is planted in the ground. But both are just the beginning of something that takes time to grow. We spend the rest of our lives learning how to live as one flesh.

And much like a tree, marriage needs to be tended. It needs good soil, water, and nourishment. There will certainly be some difficult growing seasons, but we keep tending it.

That brought me back to the Psalm: “For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork.”

What kind of fruit are we growing? Are we tending what God has given us? Are we giving it what it needs to grow?

And here’s where I came back to St. Paul’s teaching about being subordinate to one another. Maybe that’s part of how we tend our marriage. By serving one another, just as Christ loved the Church and gave Himself up for her.

Love requires service. It requires giving of ourselves.

But here’s something else I’ve been thinking about as I work through this reflection. Sometimes we can get so busy tending the tree that we forget to just sit in the sunshine and let God do some of the growing.

Think about all the things we do to serve our marriage. The laundry, the yard, the house, cooking dinner. Those are all good things. They’re ways we serve one another. But we can get so busy doing all those things that we forget to simply be together.

After all, we’re supposed to be growing together as one flesh. And that takes more than just getting things done. It takes being present with each other.

Now, I thought this morning’s reflection was going to be all about marriage. But as I looked back over my prayer journal, I realized God may have been leading me somewhere else too.

Because yes, marriage takes work. But so do the other relationships God places in our lives.

I love what I do. I love serving others. But sometimes I get so caught up in the work that I forget the people I’m doing it for.

Just yesterday, I forgot to check back with someone who was going through a difficult time. I had been there for him initially, but then work got busy, and I simply forgot.

That bothered me because I know better.

I’ve been trying to remind myself of something lately: People over things.

Whether it’s my marriage or the people God places in my life, I need to remember that relationships require more than good intentions or good works. They require my time, my attention, and my willingness to simply be present.

So my prayer today is that God gives me the grace to keep tending what He has entrusted to me, but also the wisdom to know when to put the work down, sit in the sunshine, and let Him do His part.

Because the Kingdom of God is worth it.

And one flesh is worth it.

Are you so busy doing things for the people you love that you’re forgetting to simply be present with them?

I pray you get the graces you need today. And I hope you’re praying for your marriage, too. Ask God to bless it abundantly, to help your love continue to grow, and to give you the grace to serve and love one another as He intended.

Keep up the good fight.

I’m praying for you. Please pray for me.

Scripture: Ephesians 5:21–33 | Psalm 128:1–5 | Luke 13:18–21