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Commentary on the Gospel – November 5, 2025
Many years ago, when I was studying theology, one of my professors, speaking about marriage, used to tell us that the love between those who marry must be—at least in intention—“for always and for everything.” In other words, it must be a love without limits, a love and self-giving that embraces the whole person and desires to last through time. Those who marry thinking their relationship will last only a few years, or those who marry while setting conditions or limits, are not truly entering into a valid marriage. Like it or not, common sense tells us this is as true as it gets—because what kind of love isn’t “for always and for everything”?
Of course, that doesn’t mean everything will go perfectly, or that there won’t be a process of growth in love and in relationship. There can even be failure. But the initial intention must be one of total and lasting commitment. Without that, there is no real marriage.
Jesus makes a similar point when He speaks to those who want to follow Him. He asks for total commitment—nothing less. That means setting everything else aside, or at least putting everything else in second place. What comes first is the fraternity of the Kingdom, living out God’s love for all—especially for the least, the forgotten, the marginalized.
Just as in marriage, discipleship isn’t about reaching perfection from the start. It’s a journey, a process. But the intention must be one of complete surrender. Otherwise, it’s not worth starting the path at all. And certainly, it makes no sense to wear the label of “disciple” if there’s no real desire to follow Jesus, to work for fraternity and justice—the true marks of God’s Kingdom.
Does this mean we shouldn’t love our families? Of course not. It means that all our relationships, including family ones, must be lived in the light of God’s merciful, understanding, forgiving, and patient love. That’s where the true disciple of Jesus belongs.