Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
5 July 2026
A heart that’s always listening and a mind that’s always learning gets tired. And when you’re tired, you need to rest. Being kind enough to give yourself a break is the wise thing to do. Know that you:
• Aren’t responsible for fixing everything that’s broken.
• Don’t have to please everyone.
• Don’t have to have everything figured out.
• Have permission to rest – as long as you’re the one who gives yourself permission.
Rest for you could look like moving slower as you clean the house or being mindful while you make a meal. It probably means being nicer to yourself.
If you’re not resting, you’re not healing.
healingbrave.com
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Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
12 July 2026
There are always seeds that bear fruit in good soil. God has not finished with us yet; he is still sowing the seeds. He is still continually moving in his own space through his story. He is still continually veiling his power in the garb of powerlessness. And he is still continually present in the heart of those who hang on to the true values and the divine values, such as truth, love, faith and justice. Despite all the disappointment and condemnation of the word of God in our society, yet this parable reminds us – Be comforted.
Fr Tien Cao
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Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
19 July 2026
When I trust God’s perfect timing, my inner peace remains intact, even when confronted with delays or a slow pace of action or progress. I remember that God is in control, and God knows what he’s doing. At last, I’ve come to realise that God’s ‘slow work’ is where his best masterpieces lie, for time is often an ally where creation is concerned. The world in all its magnificence surely takes time for my human brain to behold, so naturally God reveals its intricacies slowly. God invites me to embrace this virtue of patience, giving me numerous opportunities to practice it. When I follow God’s lead, at God’s pace, the payoff is huge: experiencing God’s ever-deepening nearness.
Cindy Ristroph
ignatianspirituality.com
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Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
26 July 2026 • World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly
‘Who does not remember their grandparents? Who can forget their presence and their witness by the domestic hearth? How many of us bear their names as a sign of continuity and gratitude! … These and other gestures of love and faith are a manifestation of our gratitude to them. They gave themselves; they sacrificed themselves for us, and in certain cases also gave their lives.’
Pope Benedict XVI
‘God wants young people to bring joy to the hearts of the elderly, as Mary did to Elizabeth, and gain wisdom from their experiences… above all, the Lord wants us not to abandon the elderly.’
Pope Francis
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Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
2 August 2026
No one in the crowd would have thought that this boy mattered. This was one little boy in the crowd, with a little bit of seafood and bread, but he had been chosen by God to be a significant piece of the Messiah’s redemptive plan not only for that day, but for the rest of human history.
Here’s what I’m trying to say: we will never know which little person God will use, and how. That means that we’re never just lost in the crowd. We’re never without anything to offer. We never know who the Lord will claim and use in ways that we can’t predict or haven’t intended.
paultripp.com
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Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
9 August 2026
When fear becomes our main focus, we start sinking; when Jesus is our main focus, we can walk on water. Peter’s walk on water was short lived because he took his eyes off Jesus. He noticed the surging waters and became afraid. Peter learned an important lesson that day that we should not ignore. When we let fear rule, we sink. Life is full of storms, big storms and little storms. Unless you consistently abide in Him and keep your eyes on Jesus, you will sink. Keep your eyes on Him. Sometimes Jesus is going to ask you to take a risk and trust him by being the first to step out of the boat.
Jerome Stockert
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The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
15 August 2026
For the disciples with Mary’s body literally gone and no burial site to visit, there was no physical reminder of Mary, only memories and, at times, an unexplainable presence.
Many of us have met or know of persons who have experienced the loss of a loved one as a result of war, accident, violence or unknown circumstances and the body is never located. The feast of Mary’s Assumption gives hope and consolation to them as they grieve and mourn the loss of their loved one, believing that the person is not lost or annihilated, but enjoys eternal life with their God who loves unconditionally.
Sr Carol Marie Wildt
ssndcentralpacific.org
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Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
16 August 2026
The season of harvest is a time of gratitude, reflection, and abundance. For farmers, it signifies the end of a season of hard work, when crops are gathered, and the fruits of labor are celebrated.
Spiritually, it reminds us of God’s faithfulness and the importance of sowing seeds of righteousness in our lives.
The Bible speaks of harvest not just as an agricultural event but as a symbol of spiritual growth, provision, and God’s blessings.
‘Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.’ Galatians 6:9
Biblesociety-Zimbabwe.org
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Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time
23 August 2026
What we believe about God matters. More than anything else in this world. And there is no more important time to wrestle with this than right now. In the midst of all that we are going through in our world today, we confess once again our faith and trust in Jesus, believing, with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, that he is the Savior of our world, the son of the living God. Who promises to calm our every storm, who offers us a peace that surpasses understanding, who is eager to hear our every prayer, and who assures us that he will be with us always, even to the end of the age.
mypastoralponderings.com
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Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
30 August 2026
Our physical life is wrapped around the pursuit of comfort, wealth, pleasure and acceptance, distracting us from pursuing a long-lasting relationship with God through prayer, kindness, humility, taking ownership of our mistakes and doing something to correct it. Taking up our cross is a call to do away with all that the body and mind seeks or desires and embrace the struggles and sufferings that accompany our daily life with Christ. We must be willing to give up our own will and desires to the will of God. Putting Jesus Christ in the center of our lives and avoiding self-indulgence is the path to becoming a disciple of Christ.
saintjosephmsj.org
Mission San Jose Diocesan Shrine of St Joseph