Mar\u00eda had spent the entire afternoon preparing dinner. It was her fiftieth birthday that day. Her children arrived one after another, hugged her affectionately, gave her flowers, and began to chat. Her husband arrived a little later. He kissed her on the forehead and said, \u201cI\u2019m so glad dinner\u2019s ready.\u201d During dinner, they talked about work, politics, and their grandchildren. As the day drew to a close, Mar\u00eda smiled and gave thanks to God\u2026 but as she went to bed, a tear rolled down her cheek. It wasn\u2019t ingratitude. She had been hoping to hear a phrase that never came: \u201cI love you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Her husband loved her deeply. They had spent thirty years together. He worked hard, was responsible, and had never let her down. However, she needed to hear what he took for granted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How many stories like this are there? Parents who never tell their child how much they love them because they think it \u201cwill go to their head.\u201d Adult children who never express their affection because they\u2019re too shy. Friends who say goodbye without knowing that it will be the last time they see each other. Marriages where love exists, but remains hidden behind the daily routine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Why do two such simple words hold so much power? Because human beings were created to love\u2026 but also to know that they are loved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Contemporary psychology confirms this. Psychiatrist Daniel Siegel, one of the leading experts in interpersonal neurobiology, explains that our brain does not develop in isolation. It is literally shaped within emotional relationships. The quality of our bonds alters the neural connections that regulate our emotions, our ability to trust, and even the way we cope with suffering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Neuropsychiatrist Allan Schore has shown that repeated experiences of affection during childhood shape the development of the right hemisphere, which is responsible for emotional regulation. In other words, the brain learns a sense of security when it experiences expressed love. It is not enough simply to love; love needs to be felt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Research by Dr. John Gottman, based on decades of tracking thousands of married couples, shows that the happiest couples are not those who never have conflicts, but those who maintain a very high proportion of positive interactions. Among these, verbal expressions of affection, admiration, and gratitude stand out. Words strengthen the bond because they constantly remind the other person, \u201cYou\u2019re still important to me.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Neuroscience also explains this phenomenon. When a person hears sincere words of love, the brain releases oxytocin, a hormone associated with attachment, trust, and cooperation. Neuroeconomist Paul Zak found that higher levels of oxytocin promote empathy, reduce distrust, and strengthen social bonds. At the same time, levels of cortisol\u2014the primary stress hormone\u2014decrease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A genuine \u201cI love you\u201d doesn\u2019t just stir our emotions. It also calms the brain. But we can go even deeper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The psychiatrist Viktor Frankl asserted that the highest human experience consists in discovering the unique and irreplaceable value of another person. To love means to see in another person possibilities that they themselves may not yet be able to see. When we say \u201cI love you,\u201d we are implicitly saying, \u201cYour existence is of immense value to me.\u201d That explains why the absence of those words leaves such deep wounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many adults remember perfectly well that their homes were never lacking in food, clothing, or education. However, they grew up with a painful inner question: \u201cAm I really important to anyone?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The philosopher Edith Stein wrote that a person only comes to know themselves fully when they are looked upon with love. Our identity awakens under the loving gaze of another. First, that of our parents; then, that of those who walk alongside us; and, finally, that of God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
St. John Paul II developed this same idea from the perspective of Christian anthropology: human beings cannot fully understand themselves except through love. We were created for communion. That is why isolation is so painful and why loving words have such healing power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
St. Thomas Aquinas defined love as \u201cdesiring the good of another\u201d (wish another well<\/em>). That desire must certainly be expressed through actions, but also through words. Because words make the invisible visible. They are the bridge between the heart and the one who longs to be loved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n God himself chose to reveal himself in this way. The entire history of salvation can be understood as the story of a God who insists on telling humankind, \u201cI love you.\u201d The Father\u2019s voice resounds at the Jordan:\u00a0\u201cThis is my beloved Son\u201d<\/em>\u00a0(Mt 3:17). Jesus repeatedly tells his disciples:\u00a0\u201cI have loved you\u201d<\/em>\u00a0(John 15:9). And Saint John sums up Christian identity with an extraordinary phrase:\u00a0\u201cWe have come to know the love God has for us, and we have believed in him.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0(1 John 4:16).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Before asking us to love, God lets us know that we are loved. Perhaps that is the secret. Words of love do not create love, but they do reveal it, strengthen it, and make it believable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s never assume that others \u201calready know.\u201d They may sense it, but the human heart needs to hear it. A child who frequently hears \u201cI love you\u201d builds a stronger sense of self-worth. A teenager finds refuge from the pressures of the world. A married couple strengthens their bond. A grandparent discovers that they are still valued. A friend regains hope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We don\u2019t know what our last conversation with our loved ones will be. That\u2019s why we shouldn\u2019t hold back. Maybe today, someone close to us doesn\u2019t need advice, a correction, or a gift. Maybe they\u2019re just waiting to hear, from our lips, those two words that have the power to calm the mind, strengthen the heart, and remind them that their life is worth living:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI love you.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Mar\u00eda llevaba toda la tarde preparando la cena. Ese d\u00eda cumpl\u00eda cincuenta a\u00f1os. Sus hijos llegaron uno tras otro, la abrazaron con cari\u00f1o, le entregaron flores y comenzaron a conversar. Su esposo lleg\u00f3 un poco m\u00e1s tarde. Le dio un beso en la frente y le dijo: \u201cQu\u00e9 bueno que ya est\u00e1 lista la comida\u201d. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1904,"featured_media":63638,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-63635","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-firmas"],"yoast_head":"\n