First reading 2 Timothy 2:22-26
A servant of the Lord has to be kind to everyone and gentle when he corrects people
Fasten your attention on holiness, faith, love and peace, in union with all those who call on the Lord with pure minds. Avoid these futile and silly speculations, understanding that they only give rise to quarrels; and a servant of the Lord is not to engage in quarrels, but has to be kind to everyone, a good teacher, and patient. He has to be gentle when he corrects people who dispute what he says, never forgetting that God may give them a change of mind so that they recognise the truth and come to their senses, once out of the trap where the devil caught them and kept them enslaved.
Responsorial Psalm 36(37):3-6,30-31
The just man’s mouth utters wisdom.
If you trust in the Lord and do good,
then you will live in the land and be secure.
If you find your delight in the Lord,
he will grant your heart’s desire.
The just man’s mouth utters wisdom.
Commit your life to the Lord,
trust in him and he will act,
so that your justice breaks forth like the light,
your cause like the noon-day sun.
The just man’s mouth utters wisdom.
The just man’s mouth utters wisdom
and his lips speak what is right;
the law of his God is in his heart,
his steps shall be saved from stumbling.
The just man’s mouth utters wisdom.
Gospel John 17:20-26
Father, may they be completely one
Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said:
‘Holy Father,
I pray not only for these,
but for those also
who through their words will believe in me.
May they all be one.
Father, may they be one in us,
as you are in me and I am in you,
so that the world may believe it was you who sent me.
I have given them the glory you gave to me,
that they may be one as we are one.
With me in them and you in me,
may they be so completely one
that the world will realise that it was you who sent me
and that I have loved them as much as you loved me.
Father, I want those you have given me
to be with me where I am,
so that they may always see the glory you have given me
because you loved me before the foundation of the world.
Father, Righteous One,
the world has not known you,
but I have known you,
and these have known that you have sent me.
I have made your name known to them
and will continue to make it known,
so that the love with which you loved me may be in them,
and so that I may be in them.’
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A mother’s heart
Today, we celebrate the Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of Mary—a day that invites us to reflect on Mary’s heart, the heart of a mother. As Jesus’ mother, she was not protected from sadness and suffering; her love for Jesus meant that she shared in both His sorrows and joys throughout His life.
In today’s Gospel, we see Mary’s profound love for Jesus. She and Joseph went looking for Jesus for three days. When they found Him in the temple, she did not scold or punish him. Instead, her concern as a mother was evident when she asked, “My child, why have you done this to us?…”. Although she did not understand His response, she “stored up all these things in her heart”, showing her patience as she actively pondered the meaning of the event and was attentive to God’s presence in her life. Today, Mary, as our Mother, continues to love us, sharing in the joys and sadness we experience in our daily lives. Her motherly heart is intertwined with our stories. She teaches us not to overlook events that unfold around us, but to store them up in our hearts as signs of God’s loving presence at work in our lives and in the world.
Reflective question:
What strikes me in this time of silent prayer with the Gospel passage?
Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year C” by Sr Maria Jose FMVD.
