July 21, 2026 Tuesday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of Saint Lawrence of Brindisi, Priest and Doctor of the Church Gospel: Mt 12:46–50
Today is Tuesday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time. The Church celebrates today the Optional Memorial of Saint Lawrence of Brindisi, Priest and Doctor of the Church. The Roman Martyrology tells us: Saint Lawrence (1559–1619) was born at Brindisi, Italy, and joined the Capuchin Order in Verona. A gifted theologian and accomplished linguist, he traveled widely throughout Europe and became especially renowned for his missions to the Protestants. In 1601, bearing only a crucifix, he led the Imperial Army during the recapture of Szekesfehervar (Hungary) from the Turks. Having served as Minister General of the Capuchins, he died in Lisbon on July 22, 1619, his sixtieth birthday. He was later declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Saint John XXIII.
Today, the passage from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Matthew presents to us the discourse by which Jesus reveals who His true kindred are. I wish to take this opportunity to continue offering some reflections.
Jesus’ mother and His brothers stood outside and did not enter the house where Jesus was. This reflects their inability to accept the Kingdom of God as proclaimed by Jesus, for in their view, the Kingdom of God preached by Jesus differed essentially from the kingdom taught by the Pharisees, the vision of God depicted by the Sadducees, and the Messiah proclaimed by the Herodians. Therefore, they did not enter the house where Jesus was, hoping instead that He would come out and, like them, return to Nazareth. Jesus did not comply with their wishes by leaving those who were willing to accept His Kingdom. Rather, He further revealed to us: “Whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, and sister, and mother.” (cf. Mt 12:50) This reflects the very nature of the Kingdom He proclaimed: in this Kingdom, there is only the God who loves mankind and those beloved by God; all are brothers and sisters.
When Jesus said to the one who told Him, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” (Mt 12:48), it might seem as though He were saying: “I do not recognize my mother, nor do I recognize my brothers.” The reality is quite the opposite. The Lord Christ, rich in mercy, thus implicitly extols His beloved Mother. The Blessed and Most Holy Virgin, when she heard from the angel that she was to become the Mother of God, humbly replied: “Behold, the handmaid of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word!” (cf. Lk 1:26–38). After Jesus’ birth, through her prayer, He performed His first miracle in the Gospel according to John, at Cana in Galilee (cf. Jn 2:1–12). Today, while Jesus was speaking to the crowds, His Mother and His brothers arrived outside, wishing to speak with Him (cf. Mt 12:46). This very proof unequivocally demonstrates that the Blessed Mother fully fulfilled the divine will, entrusting herself wholly to God, thereby assisting Christ in carrying out the work of redemption on earth.
O God, who for the glory of your name and the salvation of souls bestowed on the Priest Saint Lawrence of Brindisi a spirit of counsel and fortitude, grant, we pray, that in the same spirit, we may know what must be done and, through his intercession, bring it to completion. 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.
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.
July 19, 2026 Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Gospel: Mt 13:24–43
Today is the Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. The passage from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Matthew presents us with three parables spoken by Jesus. I wish to offer some reflections upon them.
From the parable of the wheat and the weeds, we discern our relationship with this world. Our relation to the world is as that of wheat to weeds. The world in which we now live is rife with occasions of sin and doers of evil (cf. Mt 13:41). We often desire to distance ourselves from every occasion of sin according to our own judgment, seeking to sever ties with those who do evil. Yet, whenever we act according to our own inclinations in this shifting world, we find it difficult to remain unstained or to draw a clear line between ourselves and evildoers. For the devil, the enemy of the human soul, “prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (cf. 1 Pt 5:8). So long as we have breath, he exhausts every means to lure us away from God and into his company, preoccupying us with worldly affairs so that we have no time for God and His holy works.
From the parables of the mustard seed and the yeast, we see the Church’s relationship with the world. In the midst of the entire human family, the Church appears exceedingly small (cf. Mt 13:31, 33). If, in all things, we fulfill the holy will of God, practicing at every moment and in every circumstance all that Christ has taught—namely, following the guidance of the Holy Spirit in every situation and proclaiming the Gospel to all creation through word and deed—then, like the mustard seed grown into a tree, we shall welcome those who, having followed their own desires, have fallen into the snares of the devil (cf. Mt 13:32). Let us persevere in sacrifice and prayer for them, and like yeast, abide with them. Thus, the grace God bestows upon them—just as yeast leavens dough—may take effect within them. May they be turned away from every occasion of sin and cease from evil, so that, upon the completion of their earthly life, they may join the faithful servants who have entrusted themselves wholly to God. Together, freed from the bonds of sin and death, may they enter into His unapproachable light and, united with all the hosts of heaven, extol and praise the Lord forever. Only then will our actions correspond to the gifts we have received.
Show favor, O Lord, to your servants and mercifully increase the gifts of your grace, that, made fervent in hope, faith and charity, they may be ever watchful in keeping your commands. 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
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