Author Archives: Esposos Misioneros

The way home. Reflection for marriages Luke 24:13-35

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From the Gospel according to Luke 24:13-35

That very day, the first day of the week,
two of Jesus’ disciples were going
to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus,
and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred.
And it happened that while they were conversing and debating,
Jesus himself drew near and walked with them,
but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him.
He asked them,
“What are you discussing as you walk along?”
They stopped, looking downcast.
One of them, named Cleopas, said to him in reply,
“Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem
who does not know of the things
that have taken place there in these days?”
And he replied to them, “What sort of things?”
They said to him,
“The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene,
who was a prophet mighty in deed and word
before God and all the people,
how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over
to a sentence of death and crucified him.
But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel;
and besides all this,
it is now the third day since this took place.
Some women from our group, however, have astounded us:
they were at the tomb early in the morning
and did not find his Body;
they came back and reported
that they had indeed seen a vision of angels
who announced that he was alive.
Then some of those with us went to the tomb
and found things just as the women had described,
but him they did not see.”
And he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are!
How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke!
Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things
and enter into his glory?”
Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets,
he interpreted to them what referred to him
in all the Scriptures.
As they approached the village to which they were going,
he gave the impression that he was going on farther.
But they urged him, “Stay with us,
for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over.”
So he went in to stay with them.
And it happened that, while he was with them at table,
he took bread, said the blessing,
broke it, and gave it to them.
With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him,
but he vanished from their sight.
Then they said to each other,
“Were not our hearts burning within us
while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?”
So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem
where they found gathered together
the Eleven and those with them who were saying,
“The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!”
Then the two recounted what had taken place on the way
and how he was made known to them in the breaking of the bread.

The Gospel of the Lord

The Way Home

There are times when, looking at the cross through our own logic and perspective, we fall into discouragement. We retreat into ourselves, turning inward and drowning in self-pity.
But what brings us back? Turning our eyes to the Lord and understanding everything in light of Sacred Scripture. With the Spirit’s help, if we interpret things rightly, our hearts will be set on fire again. That fire leads us back to community, and from there, we can become true witnesses of God’s work within us.

Applied to married life

Marta: When you hurt me, even unintentionally, I feel let down and start pulling away. I just can’t understand how you, the one I love, could be the one causing me pain.
Michel: But what if my intentions aren’t what you assume? What if God is using these emotions to purify you, to help you grow?
Marta: So maybe I’m judging this moment of suffering by my own standards, and that’s why I can’t see God in it.
Michel: Exactly. And while you’re pulling away, I’m still here trying to love you—even if I mess up sometimes. But when you turn away, you stop seeing me as God’s gift to you.
Marta: Maybe you’re right. I’ll pray about it and see what God says in the Gospel.
(She read about the disciples on the road to Emmaus. Her heart was set on fire, she believed again, and she was reunited with her husband in love.)

Mother,

May our hearts burn as we learn to see our marriage through the light of Scripture. Praise be to the Lord who reveals His truth to us.

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The greatest Joy. Reflection for marriages. Jhon 20:11-18

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From the Gospel according to John 20:11-18

Mary Magdalene stayed outside the tomb weeping.And as she wept, she bent over into the tomband saw two angels in white sitting there,one at the head and one at the feetwhere the Body of Jesus had been.And they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?”She said to them, “They have taken my Lord,and I don’t know where they laid him.”When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there,but did not know it was Jesus.Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?Whom are you looking for?”She thought it was the gardener and said to him,“Sir, if you carried him away,tell me where you laid him,and I will take him.”Jesus said to her, “Mary!”She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni,”which means Teacher.Jesus said to her, “Stop holding on to me,for I have not yet ascended to the Father.But go to my brothers and tell them,‘I am going to my Father and your Father,to my God and your God.’”Mary went and announced to the disciples,“I have seen the Lord,”and then reported what he had told her.

The Gospel of the Lord

The Greatest Joy

I can only imagine the joy Jesus must have felt when He told Mary Magdalene that His Father had now become our Father too. Has there ever been a greater joy in all of human history? His joy was so overwhelming, He didn’t even wait to return to the Father before sharing it with us.
This was Christ’s ultimate victory—His glory: that we became children of God. What an incredible accomplishment! What a triumphant entrance He must have made into heaven! The Blessed Virgin surely looked upon Him with immense pride.

Applied to married life:

James: This Holy Week helped me understand how someone can go from deep sorrow to overwhelming joy in just one day.
Teresa: I’m guessing you mean the shift from Holy Saturday to Easter Sunday?
James: Exactly. It’s like watching our marriage move from a place where we didn’t see God as our Father to one where we do. Without Him, it felt impossible—like we were stuck, unable to grow, making an effort that led nowhere… But with God as our Father, everything changed: we have hope, we have joy, and we can actually see grace working in us.
Teresa: It’s a total transformation. Knowing that God is truly our Father means He cares for us and is always there to help. That’s so different from just being His creatures.

Mother,

Christ’s generosity is astonishing—He came into the world and endured humiliation just to make us His brothers and sisters. Amazing. Who is like God? Praise be to Him.

Lightness of Heart. Reflection for marriages Matthew 28:8-15

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From the Gospel according to Matthew 28:8-15

Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went away quickly from the tomb,fearful yet overjoyed,and ran to announce the news to his disciples.And behold, Jesus met them on their way and greeted them.They approached, embraced his feet, and did him homage.Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid.Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee,and there they will see me.”
While they were going, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had happened.The chief priests assembled with the elders and took counsel;then they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers,telling them, “You are to say,‘His disciples came by night and stole him while we were asleep.’And if this gets to the ears of the governor,we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.”The soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed.And this story has circulated among the Jews to the present day.

The Gospel of the Lord

Lightness of Heart

Rejoice! This is the Lord’s great commandment today. It is the consequence of all the others, because one cannot be deeply joyful unless they feel deeply loved by the Lord and deeply love others.
To be joyful is the testimony that the Lord is alive and makes His saints.

Applied to Married Life:

Alison: This Holy Week brought a real shift in my spirit. 
Tom: I  could tell—something changed for the better. 
Alison: Yes, definitely. I moved from feeling burdened and constantly focused on myself to experiencing a lightness of heart. 
Tom: Lightness of heart? What does that mean exactly? 
Alison: It means letting go of self-centered thoughts and expectations and instead focusing on the Risen Lord and His will for me and for our family. 
Tom: So, it’s like going from a heavy, draining mindset to one that’s more alive, light, and easier to carry. 
Alison: Exactly. You put it so well. I’m grateful to have you to help me express what I feel. Thank you, my love.

Mother,

The Lord is risen, and our hearts are full of joy. 
Blessed and praised be His name forever.

In Just an Instant. Reflection for marriages. John 20:1-9

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From the Gospel according to John. Jn, 20:1-9

On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know where they put him.” So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb. They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first; he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in. When Simon Peter arrived after him, he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there, and the cloth that had covered his head, not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place. Then the other disciple also went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb first, and he saw and believed. For they did not yet understand the Scripture that he had to rise from the dead.

The Gospel of the Lord

In Just an Instant.

God’s power did not choose to manifest itself against His executioners, for they too were victims of true evil. The greatest weapon of evil is death and against it, the immense power of God is made visible. It took only an instant, a single redemptive act, and death was defeated for eternity.
In just an instant, the devil is overcome. In just an instant, our despair turns into hope, darkness becomes light, and death is transformed into eternal life.
Man once again has access to the Tree of Life.
Here is where the power of God is revealed greater than all the destructive force that stained creation, the whole universe, doomed to a dramatic end.
But only if we are part of Him—in Christ—will we rise with Him in that one redemptive act. An act of immense power, in which God’s might is revealed so vast that it can contain the entire universe.
At last, the Bridegroom will become fully one with His Bride. Head and Body will become one.
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Applied to married life:

Andy: Chris, it’s not worth it for us to keep competing with each other. Or defending ourselves from one another. That way we give evil a power it no longer has. I say we live as spouses who know they’ve been saved from evil—live here and now the Kingdom of God, which is only a breath away. Just one last breath—and that’s it! So why wait, if we’re already saved?

Chris: You’re right, Andy. It’s a waste of time—and it just makes us bitter. We have God’s power on our side, and we’ve seen what He can do. So count me in. I’m with you on the winning side.

Andy: God wants it. Now it’s just up to us. He has already conquered death. Alleluia!

Chris: Alleluia!

Andy: Shall we seal it with a kiss?

Mother,

Rejoice, because we will do whatever He tells us.
Praise be to the Lord who has conquered death. Glory to Him forever. Alleluia!

Shout out loud!! Reflection for marriages. Luke 24, 1-12

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From the Gospel according to Luke Lk 24, 1-12.

On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ”  Then they remembered his words.
When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.
 
The gospel of the Lord

Shout out loud!!

Lent feels so long. It seems like Easter will never come. But now—the hour of Salvation has arrived! The angels bring us the news, the same angels who announced it to the shepherds in Bethlehem. The same ones who came to Mary at the Annunciation. And now they say to us: “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here. He has risen.”
With those words, Hope has reached us. Life, grace, the sacraments, Mary as our Mother… That Resurrection means so, so much—for you and for me…
I become aware, and that cry of joy rises up in me: You have risen, Lord! At last, I can shout again: Alleluia! And another Alleluia! And another one, adding after each Alleluia the gifts that the Resurrection of the Lord brings us.

Applied to married life:

Tony: Yesterday I felt kind of downhearted, like nothing made sense, like all effort was useless.

Matilda: Really? What happened yesterday?

Tony: Nothing specific… I just fell into the same old things again. I started seeing my life as a sort of inevitable routine, and that dragged me down.

Matilda: That happens sometimes. So, what brought you out of the darkness?

Tony: Contemplating the Resurrection of the Lord. I started going over in prayer everything I’ve received from Him—starting with forgiveness and life, then the Holy Spirit, being made a child of God, the hope we share in our Sacrament of Marriage, the hope for our children… I don’t know. A list so overwhelmingly endless of blessings and promises that all the nonsense faded away, and I ended up praising God with all my heart.

Matilda: That’s beautiful. I loved it. It moved me. Thank you for making me more aware of the gift of Redemption.

Mother,

We thank God especially for you. Without you, where would we go?
Thank You, Lord, for giving us Mary as our Mother.