Author Archives: Esposos Misioneros

Intimacy Thief, Reflection for Marriages: John 10:11-18

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GOSPEL
From the Gospel according to John
Jn 10:11-18

Jesus said:
“I am the good shepherd.
A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
A hired man, who is not a shepherd
and whose sheep are not his own,
sees a wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away,
and the wolf catches and scatters them.
This is because he works for pay and has no concern for the sheep.
I am the good shepherd,
and I know mine and mine know me,
just as the Father knows me and I know the Father;
and I will lay down my life for the sheep.
I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold.
These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice,
and there will be one flock, one shepherd.
This is why the Father loves me,
because I lay down my life in order to take it up again.
No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own.
I have power to lay it down, and power to take it up again.
This command I have received from my Father.”

The Word of the Lord.

Intimacy Thief.

A thief is one who enters to steal, to take something from another for their own benefit. I am not a shepherd of my husband, but I must take as a reference the relationship that Jesus has with us to learn how my relationship with my spouse should be. According to that, I ask myself: In my relationship with my husband, am I a thief who enters to take what I desire, or do I enter into his intimacy to call him by his name and for him to know my voice?
Furthermore, in marriage, we must enter through His door to find the food that fills us with life.

Applied to Married Life:

Julieta: I have a huge vice in the way I relate to you, and it is that if I am not careful, I am focused on what you don’t give me, on what you don’t say to me, on whether you don’t listen to me, on whether you don’t do something for me… Of course, the result is that I have a generalized discontent because I only look at what I don’t receive from you. Or what I receive and is inadequate.
Manu: Unfortunately, it’s a tendency that most of us have, and yet the good, what we do for each other, almost goes unnoticed.
Julieta: So, Manu, I have been created to give myself to you and I can’t stop looking at what you don’t do for me.
Manu: Well, Julieta, first of all, it’s very good that you’re aware of the problem because that means the Lord wants to help you overcome it. Cheer up, I’m with you.

Mother,

The Lord places by our side a child of His to make them our main mission. May it be so between us. Praised be the Lord who gives us this precious gift.

Good Little Shepherds. Reflection for marriages. John 10:11-18

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GOSPEL

The good shepherd is one who lays down his life for his sheep
From the Gospel according to John 

Jn 10:11-18

The good shepherd is one who lays down his life for his sheep
Jesus said:
‘I am the good shepherd:
the good shepherd is one who lays down his life for his sheep.
The hired man, since he is not the shepherd
and the sheep do not belong to him,
abandons the sheep and runs away
as soon as he sees a wolf coming,
and then the wolf attacks and scatters the sheep;
this is because he is only a hired man
and has no concern for the sheep.
‘I am the good shepherd;
I know my own
and my own know me,
just as the Father knows me
and I know the Father;
and I lay down my life for my sheep.
And there are other sheep I have
that are not of this fold,
and these I have to lead as well.
They too will listen to my voice,
and there will be only one flock,
and one shepherd.
‘The Father loves me,
because I lay down my life
in order to take it up again.
No one takes it from me;
I lay it down of my own free will,
and as it is in my power to lay it down,
so it is in my power to take it up again;
and this is the command I have been given by my Father.’

The Gospel of the Lord

Good Little Shepherds.

How marvellous that the Lord regards me as part of Himself and sacrifices Himself for me when “the wolf comes”.
But now He sends me to shepherd His other sheep. Shall I flee to protect my honour or my dignity? Or shall I sacrifice my life for my husband because I see him as a part of me, as the Lord does?

Applied to Married Life:

James: I think I’m starting to understand what Christian marriage entails. It’s where the husband is prepared to forfeit everything and dedicate himself to his wife.
Rose: And are you prepared to do that?
James: I am prepared, yet I find myself lacking the strength. I need the Lord’s grace to fully comprehend as He does. Could you pray for me? I need to view you as a part of myself in order to protect you as a part of myself.
Rose: Saint John Paul suggests that to fully understand ourselves, we must also explore our feminine and masculine aspects. I realise that, as we are one, to fully understand myself I must also understand you. I am keen, what about you?
James: So am I.

Mother,

What a beautiful image of the Good Shepherd. I want to see myself on His shoulders being carried to the Father. Praise be.

The Moment of Truth. Reflection for marriages: John 6:60-69

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GOSPEL

Who shall we go to? You are the Holy One of God
From the Gospel according to John
Jn 6:60-69
After hearing his doctrine many of the followers of Jesus said, ‘This is intolerable language. How could anyone accept it?’ Jesus was aware that his followers were complaining about it and said, ‘Does this upset you? What if you should see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before?
‘It is the spirit that gives life,
the flesh has nothing to offer.
The words I have spoken to you are spirit
and they are life.
‘But there are some of you who do not believe.’ For Jesus knew from the outset those who did not believe, and who it was that would betray him. He went on, ‘This is why I told you that no one could come to me unless the Father allows him.’ After this, many of his disciples left him and stopped going with him.
Then Jesus said to the Twelve, ‘What about you, do you want to go away too?’ Simon Peter answered, ‘Lord, who shall we go to? You have the message of eternal life, and we believe; we know that you are the Holy One of God.’
The Gospel of the Lord

The Moment of Truth.

When the moment of truth arrives, our faith demands tough decisions, because the Lord asks everything from us in order to give Himself completely.
We might experience moments when our faith falters, when the moment of truth comes and we are asked to dedicate all our free time, or a fixed portion of “our” money, or to attend daily Eucharist, or spend an hour in prayer each day… Or to live our sexuality with the dignity it deserves… Then, we might start to think that this is madness.
But Lord, if we do not give up our possessions and our criteria to follow you, where else shall we go?

Applied to Married Life:

Martha: Forgive me, John, I was deeply hurt by your disregard for me, to the extent that I deemed you unworthy of me. I needed time away from you.
John: I’m sorry, Martha. It seems you misread my actions and take offence at things I do not intentionally do or say to demean you, and I can’t fathom why you’re offended. It gets to the point where it feels like anything I do or say could be turned against me.
Martha: What’s lacking is sensitivity, and you enter my heart like a bull in a china shop. But never mind. I’m prepared to stop being self-centred and to love you as you are, as the Lord asks of me.
John: Thank you. I had already concluded that your desire to distance me was the Lord’s way of refining my self-love, and I had already accepted this. Regardless, I intend to continue loving you as God wishes.

Mother,

May we be willing to give everything for the love of God. To deny myself, take up my cross daily and follow Him. Praised be my Lord.

Blessing Not Abolished. Reflection for marriages John 6:52-59

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GOSPEL

My flesh is real food and my blood is real drink
From the Gospel according to John
Jn 6:52-59

The Jews started arguing with one another: ‘How can this man give us his flesh to eat?’ they said. Jesus replied:
‘I tell you most solemnly,
if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood,
you will not have life in you.
Anyone who does eat my flesh and drink my blood
has eternal life,
and I shall raise him up on the last day.
For my flesh is real food
and my blood is real drink.
He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood
lives in me
and I live in him.
As I, who am sent by the living Father,
myself draw life from the Father,
so whoever eats me will draw life from me.
This is the bread come down from heaven;
not like the bread our ancestors ate:
they are dead,
but anyone who eats this bread will live for ever.’
He taught this doctrine at Capernaum, in the synagogue.

The Gospel of the Lord
Blessing Not Abolished.
God astonishes us by bestowing supernatural life upon us, offering His flesh, that flesh He receives from the Most Holy Virgin Mary. It seems a contradiction that He would give us the greatest supernatural good through something as human as flesh, in such a marital, conjugal way, through the gift of the flesh.

This is God, who takes on what is ours, elevates it, and makes it His own. Therefore, the gift of marriage is the only blessing that was not abolished either by the punishment of original sin or by the punishment of the flood. Because from this becoming one flesh would come our salvation.

What further mysteries might Marriage hold that we are still unable to discern?
Applied to Married Life:
Charles: Amelia, I want to live my dedication to you as God intends me to live it: as an offering to God. This is how the Lord lives it when He gives us His flesh, as a priest who offers his own sacrifice.
Amelia: And how can that be done? Because obviously, the way Christ surrendered on the cross and our conjugal surrender are not the same.
Charles: This is something supernatural, so it is not within my power. To begin with, by nourishing myself with the Eucharist, which is the Bread of Life allowing Christ to be in me and I in Him, then by praying before I surrender to ask the Spirit to be the one who works through me, and finally, by not seeking anything for myself in that act, just surrendering.
Amelia: The Lord transforms us into Him in each Eucharist, so I do not rule out that it might be possible. Let’s trust in Him.
Charles: Let’s trust in Him and distrust ourselves.
Mother,
Your Son sanctifies us with the flesh you bestowed upon Him. Grant us also the grace to purify ourselves with our own. Praised be the only Priest.

Hunger and bread. Reflection for marriages John 6:44-51

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GOSPEL

I am the living bread which has come down from heaven
From the Gospel according to John
Jn 6:44-51
Jesus said to the crowd:
‘No one can come to me
unless he is drawn by the Father who sent me,
and I will raise him up at the last day.
It is written in the prophets:
They will all be taught by God,
and to hear the teaching of the Father,
and learn from it,
is to come to me.
Not that anybody has seen the Father,
except the one who comes from God:
he has seen the Father.
I tell you most solemnly,
everybody who believes has eternal life.
‘I am the bread of life.
Your fathers ate the manna in the desert
and they are dead;
but this is the bread that comes down from heaven,
so that a man may eat it and not die.
I am the living bread which has come down from heaven.
Anyone who eats this bread will live for ever;
and the bread that I shall give is my flesh,
for the life of the world.’
The Gospel of the Lord
Hunger and bread.

The Father has sown within me desires that illuminate the path He has laid out for me, and the foremost of these desires is Christ. Indeed, I yearn for Life, thirst for Truth, long to discover the Way, and crave Communion.
After awakening this hunger in me, the Father provides the Bread that quenches it by bestowing upon me Christ Himself. In Him, and only in Him, do we together achieve completeness—He as the Head and we as the Body.

Applied to Married Life:
Heather: At the start of my conversion, I believed I could attain communion solely with God, excluding you.
Archie: Many Christian marriages are at that juncture. What led you to realise that it wasn’t possible?
Heather: The Father had also instilled in me a longing for communion with you, and I realised that when I was graced by God and united with you, my heart found peace in you and grew nearer to the Lord.
Archie: God has embedded hints within our hearts, and these hints are those very desires. Thank you, Father, for these calls that guide us towards the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Mother,

You are also among our desires. Who doesn’t need a Mother? Who doesn’t require you as a Mother? Praise be to the Father.