June 19, 2026 // Friday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time // Optional Memorial of Saint Romuald, Abbot

Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s First Reading: 2 Kings 11:1-4, 9-18, 20

Reflect on the Word // 

I knelt in Fabriano, Italy, at the tomb of Saint Romuald on his feast day, eight years ago today. June 19  is my baptismal anniversary. This Saint has been praying for me my whole life. He is obscure, almost unknown, yet I am part of his family, connected through the Communion of Saints. How does God call us into His family and claim us as His own? He does so through His covenant with us, as we read in today’s First Reading, “by which they would be the LORD’s people” (2 Kings 11:17). In Baptism, that promise is fulfilled in our lives.

Baptism is a Sacrament of belonging. Through water and the Holy Spirit, my Baptism unites me to God, welcomes me into His family, and calls me to live as His own child. In my Baptism, I am claimed, loved, and drawn into the covenant that binds me to the Lord and to others in His Church. 

This belonging is not just personal but communal. Baptism joins us to a people across time and space. In the Sacraments, we are reminded that we are part of something larger. 

After Mass that day, I found myself alone in the crypt at the tomb of Saint Romuald. The elderly sacristan spoke in Italian and guided me around to the other side of the altar, where more of the tomb was exposed. I did not understand his words, but his gestures were clear: I could remain. He walked away, locking the door behind him. I was free to leave at any time, and no one else would enter to disturb the silence and solitude Saint Romuald and I both treasured. The sacristan did not know who I was, but his kindness was clear, and we were quietly united in joy by the Saint whose feast we were celebrating. There, in the stillness, I felt at home in the family of the Church.

We are all invited to live in the joy of being God’s people. Through Baptism, we are part of something greater than ourselves. Together, we embrace this gift, the blessing of belonging, and the call to share the joy of the Gospel with the world. In Baptism, God claims us, draws us into His family, and makes us His forever.

Relate to the Lord // Look up your Baptism anniversary and make a note in the calendar to celebrate!