New Relatives

Memorial of Saint Thomas Aquinas, Priest 

and Doctor of the Church

~~~ 2 Samuel 6:12b-15, 17-19 ~~~ Psalm 24 ~~~ Mark 3:31-35 ~~~

“Who are my mother and my brothers?”

I used to be shocked by these words
until I learned to see them differently.

Jesus' family did not really fully understand that he
had to go out to the people.
Inside Jesus was teaching those
who would become his disciples...his new family.

Jesus could not rely on his immediate family to be his disciples.
He had to go out to the people. He had to make his mission known.
Those who came to listen to him teach were usually
the ones who then became his disciples.

His family came because they loves him and wanted him to be safe.
Jesus knew that being safe was not going to be
the way of his life.

...For whoever does the will of God
is my brother and sister and mother.

Doing the will of God is what is required to become a true disciple.

Knowing the will of God is not enough;
one must do the will of God.

We must go forth practicing
and spreading the message of salvation.
Once we have become a disciple we will also
be a part of the family...
the family of Jesus.

Would you have been sitting in that group
 around Jesus that day?

Through his blessings we are in His family too.

Seated in the Circle

~~~ Hebrews 10:1-10 ~~~ Psalm 40 ~~~ Mark 3: 31-35 ~~~

 

 

And looking around at those seated in the circle he said,
“Here are my mother and my brothers.
For whoever does the will of God
is my brother and sister and mother.”

 

If you are seated with those encircling Jesus he considers you a part of his family.

If you are spiritually related to Jesus he names you more than just friend,

but actually his mother and brother (or sister).

 

If you are seated with Jesus are you also willing to do the will of God?

Or do you just want to sit at his feet and be a passive participant?

You cannot be apathetic and be in the company of Jesus.

 

When what we want is congruent with what God wants

from us everything is going well.

But look at what Jesus endured and sacrificed to do the will of the Father.

 

If you think following Jesus will be easy you are not living in reality.

One sure way of making this journey better though is to

give thanks for all that you have received...

for all that God has done for you.

 

We can go through all sorts of forms of prayer

making ourselves appear to be more holy,

but unless we can echo the words...

Here am I Lord; I come to do your will.

we are wasting our time.

 

 

It is our heart that must be willing to let the will of God

manifest itself in our life....

actually through our life in our actions and intentions.

 

Making a commitment to allow God's will to be first in our life

 is a constant act of surrendering.

Daily we must submit ourselves to,

his will in our lives.

Daily we must accept those things we cannot change.

Daily we must face the challenge to become better

than we were the day before.

 

If we are striving to do the will of God in our lives

we will find greater joy.

We will be more at peace with ourselves and with those around us.

The will of God in our lives requires more love;

loving beyond what we think is possible.

 

So we come back to the question...

can you sit in the circle surrounding Jesus and speak the words

Here am I Lord; I come to do your will.

 

Lord, it is only through your grace that we can follow in your footsteps.

Lead the way...but please be patient with me.

Part of the Family

~~~ Proverbs 21: 1-6, 10-13 ~~~ Psalm 119 ~~~ Luke 8: 19-21 ~~~

 

The mother of Jesus and his brothers came to him
but were unable to join him because of the crowd.
He was told, "Your mother and your brothers are standing outside
and they wish to see you."
He said to them in reply, "My mother and my brothers
are those who hear the word of God and act on it."

 

These few verses from Luke's gospel hold basic truths for us today.

Even those who appear to have a relationship with the Lord may not.

Even those who claim kinship with the Lord may not be who they claim to be.

 

I am not attempting here to discount the literal text,

instead I am putting it in a much boarder context.

 

Jesus was tucked into the crowd...inaccessible to those outside the group.

If you do not have access to the Lord it makes things so much more difficult.

When you cannot see the Lord you must carry on relying on your faith alone.

 

Why didn't the crowd just make a path allowing

Mary at least to come in closer to her son?

This is not the point of this text.

 

Why didn't Jesus ask that his mother be brought in closer to him?

This is not the point of this text either.

 

What was so urgent that Mary came to the place where Jesus was doing his

father's business?

This is not the point of the text either.

 

Jesus goes on to make the statement..

"My mother and my brothers
are those who hear the word of God and act on it."

 

If you want to be considered a part of the family

there are a couple of qualifications.

 

First you must be able and willing to hear the word of God.

 

Second you must be committed enough to take action.

 

Becoming a part of the family of God happens at Baptism.

Our Baptism is only the beginning though.

 

As a result of our being welcomed into the family we must follow up.

We must take the time to hear the word of God through the scripture.

We must make the effort to not just hear the words

but really tune in to their meaning.

 

What is the message expressed through the word of God?

We can only gain insight by spending time with scripture;

every day if possible.

 

The more time we devote to studying the word of God

the better we will grasp the meaning.

 

 

When we have really heard the word of God

then we can act on it accordingly.

 

Once we hear; the Holy Spirit can stir up our hearts to take action.

If we are to be in a 'family' relationship with God

we should act in a manner worthy of that place.

 

Jesus clearly states that all who hear the word of God

and act on it are his relatives.

Please note that he was not satisfied with our only hearing the word.

 

It is almost a waste of time to just hear the word.

Your actions must be aligned with what you are hearing.

 

Whether you hear or not; all will be reflected through your actions.

 

Join me in prayer:

Lord, let my actions always be the fruit of hearing your words.

Place in my heart a deep longing for your words.

Give me the desire to love your holy scriptures.

 

Each of us can have an intimate family relationship with Jesus.

You don't belong standing outside.

It is not an option!

You are part of the Family.