St. Lawrence of Brindisi, priest & doctor 

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊

Micah 7:14-15, 18-20

Shepherd your people with your staff,

Shepherd the flock of your inheritance that dwells alone in the scrub, in the midst of a fertile land. Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead as in the days of old, in the days when you went out of Egypt. Show us your wonders.

Who is a God like you, who takes away guilt and pardons crime for the remnant of his inheritance? Who is like you whose anger does not last? For you delight in merciful forgiveness.

Once again you will show us your loving kindness and trample on our wrongs, casting all our sins into the depths of the sea. Show faithfulness to Jacob, mercy to Abraham, as you have sworn to our ancestors from the days of old.

 

Ps 85:2-4, 5-6, 7-8

Lord, show us your mercy and love.

 

＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊

Matthew 12:46-50

 While Jesus was still talking to the peo­ple, his mother and his brothers wanted to speak to him and they waited outside. So someone said to him, “Your mother and your brothers are just outside; they want to speak with you.”

Jesus answered, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” Then he pointed to his disciples and said, “Look! Here are my mother and my brothers. Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is for me brother, sister, or mother.”

 

Gospel Reflection：

To be a Christian is to be anonymous in three ways: I have no name, I have no relatives, or I am just one among many. For the Jews, having no name is excluding me from God’s creation. Outside of God’s creation, I am nothing.

Closely linked to having a name is having relations, especially family relations. If I have no relative, I am nobody. Jesus wants us to be anonymous in the third way: I am one among many or I am claimed like anyone. Jesus does not disrespect our unique names.

Likewise, he does not encourage us to disown our relatives. He wants us to embrace one name and relation-as Christian and be among Christ’s ones. Today the same acts of being anonymous in Christ-like living with the poor without recognition and fighting for our marginalized brothers and sisters-remains a tough challenge.