July 20, 2026
Monday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Or Optional Memorial of Memorial of Saint Apollinaris of Ravenna
Gospel: Mt 12:38-42

Today is Monday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time. The Church celebrates today the Optional Memorial of Saint Apollinaris of Ravenna (Bishop and Martyr). The Roman Martyrology tells us: Saint Apollinaris of Ravenna (1st–2nd century) is believed to have been a native of Antioch. He eventually became the first Bishop of Ravenna, Italy. He endured grievous torments for Faith and suffered martyrdom; thus, his veneration spread widely throughout the Church.

Today, the passage from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Matthew presents to us the dialogue between Jesus and the scribes and Pharisees. In today’s Gospel, we encounter a frequently recurring term: sign. We also hear Jesus mention four figures from the Old Testament: the Prophet Jonah, the Queen of the South, Solomon, and the men of Nineveh. Therefore, let us endeavor to understand.

First, the sign. In English, the word is sign, meaning a mark or token. When we speak of signs, we often recall the tokens God grants to each of us. God frequently gives us signs unexpectedly, prompting us to remember His presence and, consequently, to respond to His call addressed to each one of us.

To the men of Nineveh, the Prophet Jonah was their sign, for they repented at his preaching (cf. Jon 3:1–10). God saw their repentance and refrained from bringing upon them the threatened destruction. To the Jews of Jesus’ time, Jonah was a prefigurement of Jesus, for Jonah, having resisted the divine will, spent three days and three nights in the belly of the whale. There, he prayed to the Lord, his God (cf. Jon 2:1–10). Likewise, Jesus, to redeem the world, died upon the Cross and rested in the tomb for three days and three nights.

To the Queen of the South, Solomon was the object of her quest. She longed to receive Solomon’s wisdom. Who was this Queen of the South? She is the Queen of Sheba (cf. 1 Kgs 10). Bearing abundant gifts, she journeyed from her pagan land to Solomon to seek wisdom. Today, this Queen of Sheba becomes a model for us all. Though she possessed high rank and great power, she came before a foreign king in humility to seek instruction. She did not seek further riches of this world but solely sought wisdom.

Direct your faithful, Lord, in the way of eternal salvation,
which the Bishop Saint Apollinaris showed by his teaching and martyrdom,
and grant, through his intercession,
that we may so persevere in keeping your commandments
as to merit being crowned with him.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.

©Totus Tuus 2026
Cum Approbatione Ecclesiastica