Today's readings and the life of Pope St. John XXIII all point us to three interconnected B-words: Blessing, Believing, and Beginning. I...
Today's readings and the life of Pope St. John XXIII all point us to three interconnected B-words: Blessing, Believing, and Beginning.
In the Gospel, a woman in the crowd cries out, calling for a blessing upon Jesus' mother, saying, "Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts that nursed you!" It is a sincere, heartfelt compliment to Mary. But Jesus refines this idea of blessing by saying, "More blessed still are those who hear the word of God and observe it." This elevates the blessing from a biological connection to a spiritual one. True blessing comes from God, and we receive it by listening to and obeying His Word.
The First Reading, though filled with imagery of judgment, is ultimately a prophecy of blessing and restoration for God’s people. The Lord dwells in Zion, and "Judah shall abide forever, and Jerusalem for ages upon ages." This is the future we are called to believe in—a final and complete victory of good, a place of salvation and safety in God’s presence. This call to believing is the foundation of St. John XXIII's life, as his great action was to open the windows of the Church to allow the Holy Spirit to renew our understanding of the faith, trusting in God's promises.
The life of St. John XXIII reminds us of the power of beginning anew. He called the Second Vatican Council to revitalize the Church for the modern world. His famous motto was Ecclesia semper reformanda—the Church is always in need of reform. We, too, are always called to a new beginning—a daily conversion, an openness to the Holy Spirit, and a constant effort to hear and observe God's word. It is a daily decision to believe and to embrace the blessing of obedience.
Let us ask St. John XXIII to intercede for us, that we may constantly believe in God’s promises and embrace a new beginning of true discipleship, so that we may receive the eternal blessing promised by Christ. Amen.
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