July 21
Our Lady of Verdun,
Lorraine (5th Century)
Gospel: Matthew 12:46-50
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| Image created using Google AI Image Creator. |
Today’s Gospel
has Jesus’s mother and brothers waiting outside to speak with Him, and when
He’s told, He gestures toward His disciples and says, “Here are my mother and
my brothers. For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, and
sister, and mother.” It widens the family of God far beyond bloodlines.
It’s easy to
think of family as the people who already think like us, look like us, or
belong to the same circle. Jesus keeps stretching that definition wider, toward
anyone actually doing the will of the Father, regardless of background,
history, or how unlikely a fit they seem. The family of God was never meant to
be exclusive.
Widen your own
circle today, the way Jesus widened His. Look for the person doing the will of
God in a way you wouldn’t expect someone outside your usual circle, or your
usual comfort zone, or even your usual definition of “our kind of people,” and
treat them like the brother or sister Jesus already calls them. That’s not
generosity on your part; it’s just catching up to how God already sees them.
Today, the
Marian calendar marks Our Lady of Verdun in Lorraine, dating to the fifth
century, a devotion that gathered people across centuries and circumstances into
one family at her feet. Our Lady has never narrowed down to a list of who
belongs to her; she is the Mother of the whole family of God and the Mother of
the Church without exception. Something to consider: Who have you been keeping
outside your inner circle of faith, who actually belongs inside it? It could be
a new friend, a neighbor, or an older friend who is spiritually balanced, and knowing
they are closer to you spiritually brings balance into your life.
Rosary Man Jim 🌹
Freely given. Freely shared.
