Here Are My Mother And My Brothers

JULY 19, 2022, TUESDAY
Tuesday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time (Green)
CYCLE C - YEAR II
Lectionary: 396

Reading 1 
MI 7:14-15, 18-20

Shepherd your people with your staff,

the flock of your inheritance,

That dwells apart in a woodland,

in the midst of Carmel.

Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead,

as in the days of old;

As in the days when you came from the land of Egypt,

show us wonderful signs.

Who is there like you, the God who removes guilt

and pardons sin for the remnant of his inheritance;

Who does not persist in anger forever,

but delights rather in clemency,

And will again have compassion on us,

treading underfoot our guilt?

You will cast into the depths of the sea

all our sins;

You will show faithfulness to Jacob,

and grace to Abraham,

As you have sworn to our fathers

from days of old.

Responsorial Psalm
PS 85:2-4, 5-6, 7-8

R. (8a) Lord, show us your mercy and love.

You have favored, O LORD, your land;

you have brought back the captives of Jacob.

You have forgiven the guilt of your people;

you have covered all their sins.

You have withdrawn all your wrath;

you have revoked your burning anger. 

R. Lord, show us your mercy and love.

Restore us, O God our savior,

and abandon your displeasure against us.

Will you be ever angry with us,

prolonging your anger to all generations?

R. Lord, show us your mercy and love.

Will you not instead give us life;

and shall not your people rejoice in you?

Show us, O LORD, your kindness,

and grant us your salvation. 

R. Lord, show us your mercy and love.

Alleluia 
JN 14:23

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Whoever loves me will keep my word,

and my Father will love him

and we will come to him.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel 
MT 12:46-50

While Jesus was speaking to the crowds,

his mother and his brothers appeared outside,

wishing to speak with him.

Someone told him, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside,

asking to speak with you.”

But he said in reply to the one who told him,

“Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?”

And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said,

“Here are my mother and my brothers.

For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father

is my brother, and sister, and mother.”

GOSPEL REFLECTION:

Jesus in this reading speaks of two ways he says the people around him belong to his family. Firstly he belongs to the family he was born into, to that of his mother and relations. His other family is made up of those who do the will of God who from now will be his true intimates. Mary belongs to both but she is preeminently the one who has said, “let it be done onto me according to your word” (Luke 1:38). For this reason she is the first disciple of Jesus and the model Christian.

This is the true intimacy Jesus calls you into. Talk to Jesus about this extraordinary call and to Mary about how she felt about being in this extraordinary relationship with Jesus.

PRAYER:

Because I at least try to do the will of God, I am a member of Jesus’ inner family circle! Let this make me happy today.