Thank you for joining the St. Patrick's Live Stream Mass for Tuesday 7/21/2020
Readings for Tuesday 7/21/2020
Reading 1 MI 7:14-15, 18-20
Shepherd your people with your staff,
the flock of your inheritance,
That dwells apart in a woodland,
in the midst of Carmel.
Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead,
as in the days of old;
As in the days when you came from the land of Egypt,
show us wonderful signs.
Who is there like you, the God who removes guilt
and pardons sin for the remnant of his inheritance;
Who does not persist in anger forever,
but delights rather in clemency,
And will again have compassion on us,
treading underfoot our guilt?
You will cast into the depths of the sea
all our sins;
You will show faithfulness to Jacob,
and grace to Abraham,
As you have sworn to our fathers
from days of old.
Responsorial Psalm 85:2-4, 5-6, 7-8
R. (8a) Lord, show us your mercy and love.
You have favored, O LORD, your land;
you have brought back the captives of Jacob.
You have forgiven the guilt of your people;
you have covered all their sins.
You have withdrawn all your wrath;
you have revoked your burning anger.
R. Lord, show us your mercy and love.
Restore us, O God our savior,
and abandon your displeasure against us.
Will you be ever angry with us,
prolonging your anger to all generations?
R. Lord, show us your mercy and love.
Will you not instead give us life;
and shall not your people rejoice in you?
Show us, O LORD, your kindness,
and grant us your salvation.
R. Lord, show us your mercy and love.
Alleluia JN 14:23
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Whoever loves me will keep my word,
and my Father will love him
and we will come to him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel MT 12:46-50
While Jesus was speaking to the crowds,
his mother and his brothers appeared outside,
wishing to speak with him.
Someone told him, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside,
asking to speak with you.”
But he said in reply to the one who told him,
“Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?”
And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said,
“Here are my mother and my brothers.
For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father
is my brother, and sister, and mother.”
Gospel Reflections for 7/21/2020
Our Blessed Mother
“Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, and sister, and mother.” Matthew 12:48-50
This passage offers a wonderful opportunity to speak about the Blessed Virgin Mary. Some who read this passage fall into the trap of thinking that Jesus was in some way distancing Himself from His mother. It’s as if they conclude that His statement ignores her special role in His life. Nothing could be further from the truth.
The truth is that His statement affirms her motherhood more than anything. Why? Because He is speaking about how one becomes a true member of His family. And that happens when one “does the will of my heavenly Father.”
Think about that line. Who better fulfilled the will of the Heavenly Father? Who was more obedient in all things than the Blessed Virgin? No one was. She acted in perfect obedience throughout her life and, therefore, she perfectly fulfills the requirement of being Jesus’ family.
One thing we should take from this passage is that our Blessed Mother’s relationship with Jesus was lived on two levels. First, there was the physical motherhood she was blessed with. This was an incredible grace and one for which she deserves great honor. But her physical motherhood was not the primary reason for her blessedness. The primary reason was a result of her spiritual motherhood. And this spiritual motherhood is seen in this passage above. It is the result of her perfect “Yes” to God in all things. This is the primary reason she is to be honored and called “blessed” for all ages.
Reflect, today, upon the role that our Blessed Mother holds in your life. God wants you to honor her, to imitate her and to make her part of your family. He wants you to receive her as your spiritual mother insofar as you are a member of Jesus’ family. If you strive for obedience to the will of the Father in your life you will also share in the blessings of His life. One of those great blessings is to share His mother.
Lord, I do desire to be obedient to You and Your will in all things. I desire to embrace the Father’s perfect plan for my life. In that will, help me to share in Your divine life and become a full member of Your family. In that family, help me to take Your mother as my own. Dear Mother, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.
Source of content: mycatholic.life
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