From the Gospel according to LukeLuke 24:35-48

The disciples of Jesus recounted what had taken place along the way,and how they had come to recognize him in the breaking of bread.While they were still speaking about this,he stood in their midst and said to them,”Peace be with you.”But they were startled and terrifiedand thought that they were seeing a ghost.Then he said to them, “Why are you troubled?And why do questions arise in your hearts?Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself.Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bonesas you can see I have.”And as he said this,he showed them his hands and his feet.While they were still incredulous for joy and were amazed,he asked them, “Have you anything here to eat?”They gave him a piece of baked fish;he took it and ate it in front of them.He said to them,”These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you,that everything written about me in the law of Mosesand in the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled.”Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.And he said to them,”Thus it is written that the Christ would sufferand rise from the dead on the third dayand that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins,would be preached in his nameto all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.You are witnesses of these things

The Gospel of the Lord

Belive It.

We can never grow tired of proclaiming, celebrating, and constantly renewing what we experienced just a few days ago: Christ is risen! And we have the opportunity to encounter Him every day in the Eucharist, where we recognize Him again in the breaking of the bread, receiving His love in Holy Communion. We are nourished with the true food that satisfies, filling us with peace and renewing within us the mystery of our redemption.
Yet despite the many ways the Lord makes Himself present, we remain numb and fail to notice all the daily opportunities we have to experience the true presence of Jesus in our lives. We are witnessing Christ’s resurrection in every act of self-giving and welcome that we live out each day.
Marriage offers even more of these opportunities. Christ becomes continually present in our spouse; He speaks to us through the grace we receive in the sacrament, and He becomes real in the love we share and experience between us.

Applied to married life

Ian: Martha, I still find it hard to see how much we’ve changed, and sometimes I miss our old life.
Martha: Really? I think we’re better than ever.
Ian: Yes, I won’t argue with that. But sometimes it’s hard for me to see everything we’ve left behind after our conversion.
Martha: Don’t see it as a burden, but as a grace we’ve received.

Ian: It just feels like we gave up the things we used to enjoy—doing whatever we wanted, based on what we thought was right or wrong, as long as we weren’t hurting anyone

Martha: Maybe, but remember the emptiness it left us with, how we kept searching for more and more and nothing ever seemed enough. It even left us with a troubled conscience because deep down we knew something wasn’t right.

Ian: You’re right, Martha. I guess it’s just nostalgia—thinking about how we never used to deny ourselves anything and just did whatever we felt like, turning our backs on grace.

Martha: It happens to me too, but the good we’ve gained is so great that the feeling passes quickly

Ian: Sometimes it’s still hard for me to fully believe it, despite all the good we’ve recieved

Martha: We are witnesses to how the Lord has worked in us, and we can’t stop giving thanks for it

Ian: That’s true. Despite my clumsiness, I’m seeing more and more the grace the Lord has given us through our sacrament.

Martha: All we can do is thank the Lord for helping us believe in everything we’ve received.

Mother,

We are witnesses to all that we have received from your Son. Help us not to be afraid, but to believe in His Resurrection through the works He carries out in us. Christ is truly risen! Glory be to God.

From the Gospel according to Luke 24:13-35

That very day, the first day of the week,two of Jesus’ disciples were goingto 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 Jerusalemwho does not know of the thingsthat 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 wordbefore God and all the people,how our chief priests and rulers both handed him overto 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 morningand did not find his Body;they came back and reportedthat they had indeed seen a vision of angelswho announced that he was alive.Then some of those with us went to the tomband 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 thingsand enter into his glory?”Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets,he interpreted to them what referred to himin 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 uswhile he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?”So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalemwhere they found gathered togetherthe 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 wayand how he was made known to them in the breaking of the bread.

The Gospel of the Lord

Stay with us

The two disciples on the road to Emmaus could easily be seen as a portrait of a married couple—two spouses walking through life together amid conversations, expectations, joys, and disappointments… and, most striking of all, Jesus walking with them. It is in our everyday lives that He draws near and asks, “What are you discussing?” He takes the initiative because He cares about what concerns us, because He wants to share our lives with us.
He also listens to our hearts when we say, “We had hoped…,” because so often our plans do not match His. The cross was not part of our plans, and when it comes, it unsettles us—we reject it and want to run away because it is hard to interpret it with faith. But Jesus does not leave; He stays. And when our eyes are opened in faith, that is when we recognize Him.
Jesus disappears from our sight not because He has gone away, but because He has already shown us where to find Him: in the Word and in the Eucharist. And when we find Him, from the depths of our hearts we say: Stay with us!

Applied to married life:

James: Natalie, I’ve counted seven churches on my way from home to the office.
Natalie: Seven? Since when do you go around counting churches? Weren’t you using your commute to catch up on the news?
James: Not since Monday. On Sunday, at the Easter Mass, I realized again that Jesus is truly alive among us—the same Jesus who walked through Galilee, the same one who worked miracles… He is in the tabernacle! Isn’t that amazing? As I passed each church, I became aware of this, and my heart burned as I prayed, “Stay with me, Lord ”
Natalie: How foolish and slow we can be sometimes. Jesus has chosen to stay with us, and we… What do you think about going together to Mass this afternoon?
James: I think it’s the best thing we could do…

Mother,
when we recognize Jesus, the heart moves from sadness to gratitude. Always lead us along this path. Blessed be the Lord, alive and present among us!

From the Gospel according to John 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.

He saw and believed.

Today we celebrate the great day: Easter! the Lord’s passing through our lives, the reason for our faith, the Resurrection of our Savior! He who died for us has risen today! Dear spouses, He makes all things new: our life, our marriage, our family, our hearts because we too are called to the Resurrection. Let us believe like the disciple. Christ is risen! Happy Easter!

Applied to married life:

Helena: Luis, I think this year we are living Easter like never before.
Louis: Yes, Helena not only Easter, which is the culmination of all Holy Week, but also the Passion. God has granted us to live it deeply this year.
Helena: Yes, it’s true, it’s as if He prepared us throughout Lent and then this whole past week to experience the joy we feel today, Easter as if our understanding has awakened, and now we can truly understand.
Louis: Exactly, because in a way we too have risen with Christ. This year we’ve discovered the wonder our marriage can be; this has led our family to be more united, with more joy and peace. And even though we have gone through some crosses, we’ve seen that by living them with Him, we have found peace. And this is our Easter.
Helena: Yes, Christ has passed through our lives and has risen in us. Happy Easter, my dear husband!
Louis: Happy Easter, my wife!

Mother,

Thank you, dear Mother, for being with us every day. May we one day celebrate Easter with you in Heaven. Glory to God!

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Matthew 28:1–10

After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he* lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, “He has been raised from the dead,* and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.” This is my message for you.’ So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them and said, ‘Greetings!’ And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshipped him. Then Jesus said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.’ 

Rejoice, do not be afraid.

Today, on this Holy Saturday, we accompany our Mother in the silence of the tomb, waiting for the light brought by Christ’s Resurrection. The earth trembles, the stone is moved, and an angel announces what seemed impossible: Jesus has risen!

So too in our married life, at times everything can seem still, heavy, even lifeless when doubts, fears, fatigue, or selfishness seem to rule our hearts. Today Christ invites us to look beyond our darkness, to discover the light that conquers sin and death, and to live in the truth of a love that transforms daily life into a reflection of His divine love.

To love our spouse with Christ’s love is to live the Resurrection day by day: to die to selfishness and be born into self-giving, to die to pride and live in communion. Like the two Marys who went to the tomb, we sometimes lack the faith to believe that after sacrifice, life always comes. We find it hard to accept that self-giving out of love, even when it hurts or requires sacrifice, leads to fullness and joy.

Christ assures us that even in doubt and fear, He goes before us and says: “Rejoice.” He calls us to be witnesses of His love and to live in communion with Him, so that His work may be made visible in us and through us. May we learn to walk toward that light, embracing our spouse and living true love where Christ rises and hope is reborn.

Applied to married life:

Mary: David, today in prayer I felt that our love has gone through a resurrection.
David: Resurrection?
Mary: Yes… before, we loved each other from ourselves, measuring, comparing, expecting from the other… and that made it fragile.
David: That’s true, Mary… a very limited kind of love.
Mary: But now it feels different, as if it is born from Christ. When we allow ourselves to be filled by Him, we can love each other with peace, without demands or fear.
David: And everything changes… not because difficulties disappear, but because there is a source that sustains our love.
Mary: Exactly, my love. Our love now lives from something that does not run out, because it is born and sustained in Christ, the source of life and hope.

Mother,

Help us to remain beside your Son in silence and waiting, so that the light of His Resurrection may always fill our hearts. Blessed and praised are You forever, Lord!