July 18
Our Lady of Victory
at Toledo, Spain (1202)
Gospel: Matthew 12:14-21
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| Image created using Google AI Image Creator. |
Today’s Gospel
shows the Pharisees plotting to destroy Jesus right after He heals someone, and
His response isn’t confrontation; He withdraws quietly, continues healing those
who follow Him, and fulfills the description of God’s chosen servant: one who
won’t quarrel or cry out, who won’t break a bruised reed or quench a smoldering
wick.
There’s real
strength in that restraint. Jesus had every right to defend Himself loudly
against people actively plotting His death, and He chose gentleness instead,
not weakness, but a deliberate refusal to crush anything already fragile. Most
of us reach for the opposite instinct when we’re attacked: louder, sharper,
quicker to wound back.
Practice that
same restraint today toward whatever’s fragile around you, even while you’re
under pressure yourself. Don’t break the bruised reed of someone already
struggling just because you’re frustrated. Don’t snuff out the smoldering wick
of someone’s small, flickering effort just because it’s not burning as bright
as you’d like. Strength, in this Gospel, looks like gentleness toward the
breakable.
Today the
Marian calendar recognizes Our Lady of Victory in Toledo, Spain, 1202, a title
of victory won not through force but through faithful intercession. Our Lady’s
own strength has always looked like quiet steadfastness rather than loud
defense. Something to consider today: Someone in your life is that bruised reed
today. Will you break them, or will you be the one who shows mercy?
Rosary Man Jim 🌹
Freely given. Freely shared.
