The Memorial of Saint Angela Merici
King David was told, "The Lord has blessed the house of Obed-Edom, and all that belongs to him, because of God's ark."
So David went and brought up God's ark from the house of Obed-Edom into David's city with joy. When those who bore the Lord's ark had gone six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fattened calf. David danced before the Lord with all his might; and David was clothed in a linen ephod. So David and all the house of Israel brought up the Lord's ark with shouting and with the sound of the trumpet.
They brought in the Lord's ark, and set it in its place in the middle of the tent that David had pitched for it; and David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. When David had finished offering the burnt offering and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of Armies. He gave to all the people, even among the whole multitude of Israel, both to men and women, to everyone a portion of bread, dates, and raisins. So all the people departed, each to his own house.
Lift up your heads, you gates! Be lifted up, you everlasting doors, and the King of glory will come in.
Who is the King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.
Lift up your heads, you gates; yes, lift them up, you everlasting doors, and the King of glory will come in.
Who is this King of glory? The Lord of Armies is the King of glory! Selah.
His mother and his brothers came, and standing outside, they sent to him, calling him. A multitude was sitting around him, and they told him, "Behold, your mother, your brothers, and your sisters are outside looking for you."
He answered them, "Who are my mother and my brothers?" Looking around at those who sat around him, he said, "Behold, my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of God is my brother, my sister, and mother."
Saint Angela Merici founded the Ursulines in 16th-century Italy, pioneering education for girls when few believed women deserved learning. She understood that God's family extends far beyond blood relations.
What strikes me most about these readings is this beautiful tension between celebration and belonging. David dances with abandon before the Ark—completely uninhibited, utterly joyful. There's something profoundly moving about a king setting aside dignity to celebrate God's presence among his people. He doesn't just worship; he throws a feast, sharing bread and dates with everyone.
Then Jesus redefines family entirely. When his relatives come calling, he gestures to the crowd around him and says, "Here's my real family—whoever does God's will." This isn't rejection; it's expansion. Jesus is saying that our deepest bonds aren't formed by DNA but by shared purpose, by walking together toward the same light.
I find this incredibly hopeful for those ordinary Wednesday afternoons when we feel disconnected or alone. The person who helps us at the grocery store, the colleague who listens when we're struggling, the neighbor who waves each morning—these might be our truest family members. We're bound together not by accident of birth but by choice, by kindness, by our shared desire to live with love.
Like Angela Merici, who gathered women around a common mission, we're invited to recognize the family God is constantly forming around us. Sometimes it's in our homes, sometimes in our parishes, sometimes in unexpected places where people are simply trying to do good.
David's celebration reminds us that recognizing God's presence calls for joy, for sharing what we have.
Who in your life feels like true family, even without blood connection? How might you celebrate the ways God shows up in ordinary relationships today?