Author Archives: Esposos Misioneros

How little we like to be persecuted. Reflection for marriages Luke 21:12-19

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Gospel of the Day

Reading from the holy gospel according to Luke 21:12-19
Jesus said to the crowd:
“They will seize and persecute you,
they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons,
and they will have you led before kings and governors
because of my name.
It will lead to your giving testimony.
Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand,
for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking
that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute.
You will even be handed over by parents,
brothers, relatives, and friends,
and they will put some of you to death.
You will be hated by all because of my name,
but not a hair on your head will be destroyed.
By your perseverance you will secure your lives.”
How little we like to be persecuted.
Sometimes we suffer criticism for praying and following Christ, even from some within the Church who do not understand our decisions or our way of following Him. But the Lord tells us today that these situations will give us the opportunity to bear witness, as long as we do not prepare our defense. There is a rule that I don’t know where I learned it, but I find it interesting: If it is against God, defend Him always; if it is against the Church, it depends, assess what may do the most good; and if it is against me, never defend myself.
Applied to Married Life:
Carmen: Our son Carlos has told me again that we have abandoned them with all our praying and the apostolic missions we do on weekends.
Ramón: And what did you say?
Carmen: I told him that they are our priority, to let me know what they need and we will do it, but we ask to have dinner together during the week and many times they are not there, and we encourage them to pray together as a family and they resist, and those are the moments when we create the most intimacy as a family.
Ramón: And what did he say?
Carmen: He replied that he wants more normal plans. I told him to forgive us if we are not being good parents and asked him to meet with us and tell us what he needs because he is our priority.
(That afternoon, his son acknowledged that he was feeling jealous and had judged his parents for that personal resistance he had toward the things of God.)
Mother,
May we only defend God and never defend ourselves in order to have the opportunity to be witnesses of Him. Blessed be the Lord.

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Dazzle or illuminate. Reflection for marriages Luke 21:5-11

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Gospel of the Day

Reading from the holy gospel according to St. Luke 21:5-11
While some people were speaking about
how the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings,
Jesus said, “All that you see here–
the days will come when there will not be left
a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down.”
Then they asked him,
“Teacher, when will this happen?
And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?”
He answered,
“See that you not be deceived,
for many will come in my name, saying,
‘I am he,’ and ‘The time has come.’
Do not follow them!
When you hear of wars and insurrections,
do not be terrified; for such things must happen first,
but it will not immediately be the end.”
Then he said to them,
“Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.
There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues
from place to place;
and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky.
Dazzle or illuminate.
With this Gospel, the Lord directs our gaze to the heart, so we do not focus on the external glimmers that dazzle and inflate our pride, but on the light that Christ brings from within through His grace, a light that illuminates the soul. And for His Kingdom to come, there must be battles in our hearts, and we must persevere in them for our spiritual strengthening by overcoming the trials that He allows.
Grounded in married life:
Bea and Alberto are very worried about the daily tasks and problems. This causes them not to have time to nurture the intimacy between them and with the Lord. From their hearts arise pride, selfishness, and vanity. When this occurs, they do not have the light that the Spirit leaves through prayer in understanding, so it becomes a very strong struggle that destroys them and takes hold of them. Darkness envelops them in its gloomy mist from which there seems to be no escape. Everything is wrong, and they only manage to see the blame in the other.
By the advice of their mentors, they decide to spend some time before the Lord every day. Gradually, their souls begin to be illuminated, and they see the truth of what lies within them. The real reasons for their sadness and fears.
At last, they have something to start fighting in the right direction. Finally, there is hope.
Mother,
May we submit our hearts to sincere criticism, so that we may see within ourselves, without excuses, the true origin of our sorrows and fears. Then, help us to work for the eternal: Love. Blessed be the Lord, who shows us the way of love.

See your heart. Reflection for marriages Luke 21:1-4

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Gospel of the Day

Reading from the holy gospel according to Luke 21:1-4
When Jesus looked up he saw some wealthy people
putting their offerings into the treasury
and he noticed a poor widow putting in two small coins.
He said, “I tell you truly,
this poor widow put in more than all the rest;
for those others have all made offerings from their surplus wealth,
but she, from her poverty, has offered her whole livelihood.”
The Gospel of the Lord.

See your heart.
God’s measure always has to do with love. We weigh what our love weighs. Therefore, what matters is not how much we do but the love with which we do it. How much sacrifice there is and how much love there is towards the person we give ourselves to. On the other hand, there is the issue of judgment. Be very careful about judging my husband’s love because he may be giving much more than I realize and I may not be valuing it.

Grounded in Married Life:
Jaime: Wife, today in the Gospel the Lord has made me see how much you love me. I have seen countless sacrifices you make out of love for me that I wasn’t valuing because they were sacrifices that didn’t cost me anything. That’s why I wasn’t able to appreciate them. But your dedication was real.
Andrea: I’m very happy to hear that. Which ones, for example?
Jaime: For example, my lack of sensitivity. Yesterday, for instance, I said, “Of course, you’re always tired,” in such a way that instead of appreciating the many moments when you overcome your tiredness out of love for me, I trivialize those efforts by turning your tiredness into a sort of exaggeration on your part.
Andrea: Thank you very much for telling me this, my husband. I see how hard you try to be more sensitive, and that is much more than I deserve. 
(And the Lord saw with pleasure in the hearts of these spouses the effort to value their mutual dedication, and he blessed them).

Mother,
I want to value my husband/wife’s dedication more. Show me their heart. Thank you, Mother. Blessed be God who sees into our hearts.

Am I a Burden? Reflection for marriages Luke 20:27-40

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Gospel

From the Gospel according to Luke 20:27-40

Some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection, came forward and put this question to Jesus, saying,
“Teacher, Moses wrote for us,  If someone’s brother dies leaving a wife but no child, his brother must take the wife
and raise up descendants for his brother. Now there were seven brothers; the first married a woman but died childless. Then the second and the third married her, and likewise all the seven died childless. Finally the woman also died. Now at the resurrection whose wife will that woman be? For all seven had been married to her.”
Jesus said to them, “The children of this age marry and remarry; but those who are deemed worthy to attain to the coming age and to the resurrection of the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. They can no longer die, forthey are like angels; and they are the children of God
because they are the ones who will rise. That the dead will rise even Moses made known in the passage about the bush, when he called ‘Lord’ the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; and he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.” Some of the scribes said in reply, “Teacher, you have answered well.” And they no longer dared to ask him anything
The Gospel of the Lord.

Am I a Burden?
God has set the path for us to move from our history of sin to the glory of redemption, and that path is through great tribulation. But in order to bear this journey, we need grace, especially for married couples, where the grace of the Sacrament of Marriage is essential.  
However, the Lord will come in all His glory to take us to the Wedding Feast of the Lamb. At that time, the grace of the Sacrament will no longer be needed, because we will see God face to face, and His divine presence will unite us for all eternity.

Applied to married Life:
Teresa: I struggle with accepting our imperfections. I look at Jesus, and I am captivated by Him, but then it’s hard to look at you with your miseries.  
Louis: I understand. You long for heaven, you were created for glory, but we won’t access glory unless we first live through the cross.  
Teresa: I do face many crosses. Every time you lack consideration, it feels like a cross for me.  
Louis: But do you truly love me? Or am I just a burden to you, one that allows you to offer yourself to the Lord? If I don’t love you for who you are, if I don’t give myself to you out of love, then I’m not truly living the cross of Christ.  
Teresa: That’s harder for me—to love you with your flaws that hurt me.  
Louis: Let’s pray together that the Lord will purify our sight so we can see the gift in one another, to recognize the image of God in each of us, and then we can truly give ourselves for love.

Mother,
If only I could fully understand the gift of God in my husband… Praised be forever.

Union of Intimacies. Reflection for marriages . Luke 19:45-48

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GOSPEL 
From the Gospel according to Luke 19:45-48
Jesus entered the temple area and proceeded to drive out
those who were selling things, saying to them,
“It is written,
My house shall be a house of prayer,
but you have made it a den of thieves.”
And every day he was teaching in the temple area.
The chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people, meanwhile,
were seeking to put him to death,
but they could find no way to accomplish their purpose
because all the people were hanging on his words.
The Gospel of the Lord. 
Union of Intimacies
The Gospel is such a beautiful gift. The Word. An immense blessing from God. Through it, He reveals His mystery, His Heart, His plans, His love for me, and His love for my husband…  
Through daily marital prayer in the Gospel, we can begin to build an intimate relationship together—with God! We become aware of being children of the Father, children of the same Mother, spouses of the Spouse, filled with the Holy Spirit’s Love at our core.  
I no longer feel like a servant; I feel like part of God’s family, experiencing how He unites us and, as one, draws us into His Heart.  
Now, our marriage is a constant house of prayer.
Applied to married life. 
Caroline: Albert, we talk about so many things during the day, but we rarely discuss the most important thing—God.  
Albert: Today, I was moved when I saw how the Lord entered into you during communion.  
Caroline: I’ve been thinking that, instead of talking about other things, I’d like to speak more about Him and experience His presence. What do you think?  
Albert: I think I’m going to order a Trappist monk habit.  
Caroline: Haha, well, that wouldn’t hurt you. Haha, you’re so funny . I love it.  
Albert: But seriously, I know it’ll be difficult for me because I tend to be a bit lazy, but it’s true that when He is present between us, He unites us in such a special way.  
Caroline: Thank you, Albert. You’re amazing.
Mother,
May our marriage be a house of prayer. Either we talk about God and His ways, or what’s the point of talking at all? Praised be forever