Jesus reminds us that those who are considered worthy of the future life will not have a wife or husband forever.
In this regard, the Sources have a very significant episode that makes one reflect.
"In the hermitage of the friars of Sarteano, the evil one, who always envies the spiritual progress of the sons of God, even had this presumption.
Seeing that the saint was continually striving for his sanctification, and did not neglect today's gain satisfied with that of the previous day, one night, while he was praying in his little cell, he called out to him three times: "Francis, Francis, Francis".
«What do you want?»
And that: 'There is no sinner in the world who does not obtain God's mercy if he repents. But whoever causes his own death by rigorous penance will not find mercy in eternity'.
The Saint immediately recognised, by revelation, the cunning of the enemy, as he sought to induce him to lukewarmness [...].
Seeing that in this way he had not succeeded in hiding the snare, he prepared another, that is, a carnal stimulus [...].
As soon as the Father notices [such temptation] he strips himself of his robe and scourges himself with extreme harshness with a piece of rope.
«Now Brother Donkey," he exclaims, "so you must submit, so suffer the scourge! The cassock is the Order's, it is not licit to misappropriate it [...]».
But since he saw that with the blows of discipline the temptation would not go away [...] he went out into the garden and plunged naked into the deep snow.
Then taking the snow with his full hands he clutches it and makes seven piles of it in the shape of dummies, then he places himself before them and begins to speak to the body thus:
«Behold, this eldest is thy wife, these four, two are thy sons and two thy daughters; the other two are the servant and the maid, necessary for the service».
«Make haste, you must clothe them all because they are dying of cold. If then this multiple preoccupation is a burden to you, serve the Lord with diligence».
"[...] and the Saint returned to his cell glorifying God" (FF 703).
«For when they rise from the dead, they neither take wives nor husbands, but are as angels in heaven» (Mk 12:25)
Wednesday, 9th wk. in O.T. (Mk 12:18-27)
