Gospel: Matthew
12:46-50
While
Jesus was speaking to the crowds, his mother and his brothers appeared outside,
wishing to speak with him. Someone told him, “Your mother and your brothers are
standing outside, asking to speak with you.” But he said in reply to the one
who told him, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” And stretching out his
hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. For
whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, and sister, and
mother.”
+ + +
+ + + +
Reflection:
How could we become relatives of Jesus?
Jesus
Himself reveals the secret to us: “For whoever does the will of my heavenly
Father is my brother, and sister, and mother." And what is the will of the
heavenly Father for us? It’s for us to do good always and to be collaborator of
Jesus in spreading the good news and to follow Jesus.
Jesus
also cited the disciples as His mother and brothers for they were all faithful
follower. We do not know the personal background of each disciple perhaps some
of them were sinners like us. But notwithstanding their sins they still chose
to follow Jesus and completely left behind their sinful past. Thus, Jesus
called them His mother and brothers.
Therefore,
when we choose to follow Jesus we already are called His relative. What does to
follow Jesus mean? It’s to follow Jesus by immersing our feet in the river of
sacrifice, love, forgiveness, mercy, compassion and so forth.
How about
you? Have you already immersed your feet in the river of sacrifice, love,
forgiveness, compassion and so forth? Have you already decided to follow Jesus and
leave behind your sinful past?
Remember
that Jesus yearns for you to become his relative also. – Marino J. Dasmarinas