July 25

Our Lady of Lac Bouchet
Quebec (1920)

Gospel: Matthew 20:20-28
(Saint James, Apostle)

Image created using Google AI Image Creator.

Today’s Gospel has the mother of James and John asking Jesus to seat her sons at His right and left in the kingdom, and Jesus redirects the whole conversation: greatness in His kingdom doesn’t look like rank; it looks like service. “Whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant.” He came to serve, not to be served.

Ambition isn’t the problem in this story; wanting to be close to Jesus, wanting to matter, is a reasonable desire. The problem is measuring closeness to Him by status instead of service. We still do this: we measure our own worth by title, recognition, or position, when Jesus keeps pointing toward a completely different scoreboard: who actually serves, not who actually ranks.

Look for a way to serve today that comes with no recognition attached, nothing posted, nothing mentioned, nothing that builds your reputation. James, who asked for a throne, ended up giving his life in service instead, becoming the first apostle martyred for the faith. Greatness in this kingdom rarely looks like the seat people fight for; it looks like the work nobody’s watching.

Today the Church remembers Saint James the Apostle, and the Marian calendar observes Our Lady of Lac Bouchet in Quebec, 1920, a devotion built not on grandeur but on quiet, faithful service to pilgrims who came seeking her help. Our Lady never asked for the throne either; she simply served. Think about this: Where have you been seeking the seat of recognition, instead of the service?


Rosary Man Jim 🌹
Freely given. Freely shared.

Location: Tonawanda, NY 14150, USA

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