Then his mother and his brothers came to him, but they could not reach him because of the crowd. And he was told, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you.” But he said to them, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.”
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
Today’s Gospel reminds us of the need to seek and to do God’s will. Jesus calls us to both listen to and act on the word of God. At times, however, discerning the will of God can seem like a challenge. It can seem as if God’s will is a divine mystery that we must skillfully solve.
However, Jesus has already revealed God’s will to us. God’s will is love and mercy itself. Therefore, when we find ourselves discerning what to do with our lives, discerning how to carry out God’s will, we must always ask how our decisions are both loving and merciful. If we let love and mercy govern our lives, we can rest assured that we are on the path to fulfilling the will of God. Of course, being loving and merciful is often more challenging than it sounds. So today we might ask for the grace to understand how we can act with more genuine love and mercy.
—Tom Elitz, SJ, is a Jesuit scholastic from the Maryland Province currently studying philosophy at Fordham University.
Eternal God, in whom mercy is endless and the treasury of compassion inexhaustible, look kindly upon us and increase your mercy in us, that in difficult moments, we might not despair nor become despondent, but with great confidence, submit ourselves to your holy will, which is love and mercy itself.
—St. Maria Faustina Kowalska
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Ignatian spirituality reminds us that God pursues us in the routines of our home and work life, and in the hopes and fears of life's challenges. The founder of the Jesuits, Saint Ignatius of Loyola, created the Spiritual Exercises to deepen our relationship with Christ and to move our contemplation into service. May this prayer site anchor your day and strengthen your resolve to remember what truly matters.
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