Reflections on the Daily Readings 26th July 2021
Monday 26th July
Memorial Of Joachim And Anne, Parents Of The Blessed Virgin Mary
Family ties
Jesus’ ancestry through Joseph is extensively traced in two of the gospels, but there’s nothing there about his maternal line. The names of his grandparents—Mary’s parents—aren’t mentioned in scripture, but tradition has dubbed them Joachim and Anne. Whatever their names were, they had to have been remarkable people to have raised the mother of God. The courage and faith they passed on to Mary is a precious gift all parents can pass to their children. Treasure your own intergenerational bonds.
Today's readings: Exodus 32:15-24, 30-34; Matthew 13:31-35
“The birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches.”
Tuesday 27th July
Parables of trying and trust
Jesus favored parables—short allegories featuring people, places, and things familiar to ordinary listeners—to get his point across. Typically, they were about the kingdom of God, standing in stark contrast to the current world. “The kingdom of God, even if it requires our cooperation, is firstly a gift of the Lord,” Pope Benedict XVI reminded pilgrims in 2012. Not that humans shouldn’t lift a finger. Such parables, Benedict said, echo a famous saying from Ignatius of Loyola: “Act as if everything depended on you; trust as if everything depended on God.” Where do you need to trust God more and where, perhaps, do you need to act?
Today's readings: Exodus 33:7-11; 34:5b-9, 28; Matthew 13:36-43
“Whoever has ears ought to hear.”
Wednesday 28th July
Stay the course
Father Stanley Rother is one step away from canonization and being named publicly as a saint of the Catholic Church. Born in Oklahoma in 1935, ordained a priest in 1963, missioned to Guatemala in 1968, Rother immersed himself among the Tz’ufujil Mayan communities. When civil war broke out and his name appeared on a death list, after briefly departing he decided to return, saying, the “shepherd cannot run." On July 28, 1981, three men entered the rectory where he lived and killed him. Now recognized as a martyr for the faith, Rother was beatified by the Vatican in 2016. As we await the canonization of this first American martyr, pray that you, too, might be a sign of Christ’s love to the people close to you, even when it comes at a cost.
Today's readings: Exodus 34:29-35; Matthew 13:44-46 (403).
“When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.”
Thursday 29th July
Memorial Of Martha, Mary, And Lazarus
Lesson learned
Any memorial honoring Saint Martha, along with her sister and brother, includes a well-deserved nod to those who quietly serve. But Martha's role in salvation history goes well beyond her hospitality to Jesus and lies in the example of her maturing faith. When Jesus admonished her about her anxiety, Martha listened. She grew in wisdom and understanding, so much so that when her brother Lazarus dies, she runs to meet Jesus and declares: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you.” Martha provides an inspiration to all of us to persevere in knowing God, loving Christ, and serving others.
Today's readings: Exodus 40:16-21, 34-38 (404); John 11:19-27 or Luke 10:38-42
“Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing.”
Friday 30th July
Open the door to your own ministry
Do you ever think about your daily activities as a ministry? No activity is outside the realm of a possible ministry. Take Blessed Solanus Casey, for example. One of Solanus’ jobs was as a porter, that is, a door keeper. Open/shut case, right? Not at all! Solanus understood his simple job as being a true ministry, service of God through service of others. He did not merely answer the door; he opened his heart to everyone who entered. In doing so, Solanus was able to reflect God’s love and healing to others in a way that truly made a difference. How do you open your heart to others during your daily routine?
Today's readings: Leviticus 23:1, 4-11, 15-16, 27, 34b-37; Matthew 13:54-58 (405).
“Is he not the carpenter’s son?”
Saturday 31st July
Memorial Of Ignatius Of Loyola, Priest
Book your biblical excursion
Never underestimate the power of a book to change lives or history. Ignatius of Loyola was a young Spanish soldier from a prominent military family. While recovering from a serious war injury, he came upon Vita Christi, a spiritual biography of the life of Christ by 14th-century German Catholic monk Ludolph of Saxony. In the book he found the meditative technique of immersing oneself in a biblical scene from the life of Jesus. The book changed Ignatius’ life, and the technique became foundational to the development of Ignatian spirituality and the famed Spiritual Exercises. Try the technique: Open a gospel, read a story, and place yourself at the scene. Really be there. See what happens.
Today's readings: Leviticus 25:1, 8-17; Matthew 14:1-12
“This fiftieth year you shall make sacred by proclaiming liberty in the land for all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you.”
