Ignatian Reflections

19 July 2016 «

Written by Cornelius Buckley S.J. | Jul 19, 2016 4:00:00 AM

19 July 2016

Tuesday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Jesus left his family to preach the Good News. He chose to live in a community of apostles and disciples. On one occasion his mother and members of his family showed up and wanted to speak to him. Today’s Gospel tells what happened.

Jesus explains who his true family is. He also gives singular honor to his mother. It was she who heard and put into practice better than anyone else the will of God. From the day of the Annunciation to the hour when she stood beneath the cross, she remained faithful to her calling.

Doing the will of the Father: that is what unites us to Jesus. Why? Because we become like him in our relationship with the Father. Ties closer than blood bind us.

Today I will spend some extra time praying to Mary, the model and the teacher of doing the will of the Father, and I will ask her, the mother of Jesus and my mother, to obtain for me the grace to be more like her, to expose a family trait.

  July 19th, 2016