September 28, 2026 // Monday of the Twenty-sixth Week in Ordinary Time // Optional Memorial of Saint Lawrence Ruiz and companions, martyrs 

Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Psalm from the Readings for the Optional Memorial of Saint Lawrence Ruiz and companions:  Psalm 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9   

Reflect on the Word // 

“Can we play church?” 

The question came from my eight-year-old niece, who, along with her younger brother, had followed me upstairs to my bedroom, a space that had become more of a mini chapel than a place to repose for the night. This wasn’t the first time she and my nephew had engaged in sacred play, but it had been a while, and I welcomed any opportunity to plant the seeds of divine growth in their young, spongy hearts.  

After dressing up for “Mass” in the perfect, grown-up skirt and sweater from my closet, my niece blessed herself from the holy water font hanging near my bedroom doorway. But instead of picking up a Bible or my breviary to thumb through like she usually did, she simply knelt in front of my home altar to pray. Unprompted, my nephew began to imitate her, but when his sister arose, he stayed on his knees in silence, eyes fixed on the ornate crucifix in the center.  

My heart melted as I watched him, and when he got up a few moments later, he smiled shyly and said, “I was just looking at Him.” 

My nephew’s words are the perfect response to the Psalmist’s instruction today: “Look to him that you may be radiant with joy” (Psalm 34:6). A mere look may not seem like much, dearest sister, but when we look to Him, the fire of divine love looks back at us, with power to heal, redeem, and cast its holy glow on whatever hurts our hearts carry. Indeed, a single glance in His direction can deliver us from all our fears (see Psalm 34:5). Even when our eyes drift, the divine gaze of God never leaves. So, let’s allow the radiance of His gaze to shine on our souls and reflect brilliantly onto our families, our communities, our churches, our world. Let’s bask in the joy that comes from knowing and seeing Jesus in our lives.  

And like my nephew, let’s keep looking at Him so that others can see Jesus more clearly in us.  

Relate to the Lord // Look at Jesus today, whether in sacred art, on a crucifix, or in the Blessed Sacrament.