Gospel of the Day
A reading from the Holy Gospel according to John 20:1–2, 11–18
On the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene came early, while it was still dark, to the sepulchre; and she saw the stone taken away from the sepulchre.
She ran, therefore, and came to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and said to them:
“They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him.”
But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping. And as she wept, she stooped down and looked into the sepulchre.
And she saw two angels in white, sitting one at the head and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had been laid.
They said to her:
“Woman, why weepest thou?”
She said to them:
“Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him.”
When she had said this, she turned back and saw Jesus standing; and she knew not that it was Jesus.
Jesus said to her:
“Woman, why weepest thou? Whom seekest thou?”
She, thinking he was the gardener, said to him:
“Sir, if thou hast taken him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.”
Jesus said to her:
“Mary.”
She turned and said to him:
“Rabboni!” (which is to say, “Master”).
Jesus said to her:
“Do not touch me, for I am not yet ascended to my Father. But go to my brethren and say to them: I ascend to my Father and to your Father, to my God and your God.”
Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples:
“I have seen the Lord, and these things he said to me.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
“The Magdalene Guide”
The 5 steps of the “Magdalene Guide” to see Christ in my spouse:
1. Rise early. Take the first step. Go out to meet him, putting him first — even when things aren’t clear or easy.
2. Don’t live with indifference. Dare to look at the pain your spouse causes you. Let that pain expand and purify your heart.
3. Persevere. Even when you can’t recognise Jesus in your spouse, especially in the midst of chores and daily pressures.
4. Don’t get dragged down by routine. Call him by name again — not based on what you want him to be, but on who he really is.
5. Don’t try to hold him back. Love him freely, without trying to possess him — loving him as God loves him.
Lord, You live in my spouse! Blessed and praised be You.
Applied to Married Life
(A conversation between Rocío and her spiritual director about her marriage to Armando)
Rocío: Father, lately I feel so alone in my marriage… as if something has died between Armando and me. We don’t argue, but we don’t really connect either. And it hurts.
Director: What do you do with that pain, Rocío?
Rocío: At first I became indifferent. But lately, during prayer, I’ve found myself silently crying. Not out of anger… but sadness. Like standing at a tomb… like Mary Magdalene.
Director: How beautiful that you see yourself there. Mary didn’t run from the empty tomb. She stayed. She wept. Sometimes, true love doesn’t act — it simply stays and weeps faithfully. And that is already hope.
Rocío: But I feel weak, like crying for him doesn’t do anything…
Director: But isn’t that how God loves us? Didn’t Jesus weep over Jerusalem, over our rejection? Tears of love are not wasted — they are seeds of resurrection. Mary wept, and the Risen One appeared to her. Because faithful tears cleanse the eyes of the soul.
Rocío: So I shouldn’t run from this pain?
Director: No. Stay, like Mary. Don’t run. Don’t accuse. Cry with God — not alone. And tell Jesus: “Here I am… not understanding, not seeing… but I won’t leave.” That kind of faithfulness is faith. And one day, like Mary, He will say your name: “Rocío”… and you’ll recognise Him again — even in your husband. And He’ll begin to show you what to do, and especially how to receive every situation with Armando.
Rocío: (emotionally) Thank you, Father… I really needed someone to remind me that to love also means to stay and to weep… but with hope — not for myself, but for Him.
Mother,
Teach me to remain in those situations I don’t understand, so I may see your Son.
Praise be to the Risen Lord!