The mother of Jesus and his brothers arrived at the house. Standing outside, they sent word to Jesus and called him. A crowd seated around him told him, “Your mother and your brothers and your sisters are outside asking for you.”
But he said to them in reply, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” 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.”
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Reflection:
Would we truly want to be relatives of Jesus?
Jesus gives us a very simple yet demanding requirement to become His brother, sister, and mother: to do the will of God. What does this mean for us? It means that we feed the hungry, help those in need, forgive from the heart, and pray even for those who have hurt us. It means choosing love over resentment, generosity over selfishness, and mercy over judgment. These, and so many other selfless acts, are the paths by which we can truly be called relatives of Jesus.
It all sounds simple when we read it. But when it comes to living it, we realize how challenging it really is. Do we truly feed the hungry, not only with food but also with our compassion? Are we quick to forgive, or do we hold on to our wounds and grudges? Are we genuinely selfless, or do we often choose what is convenient and comfortable for us? The call before us is clear: to live our faith not halfway, not only when it is easy, but to live it to the fullest. This means striving every day to be like Jesus—through our actions, our words, and our way of life.
This is easier said than done. And yet, in His infinite mercy, God never stops giving us chances. Every day, He places us in situations where we can choose love over indifference, humility over pride, and service over self. Each ordinary day becomes a sacred opportunity to live what we have learned from Him and to grow closer to His heart.
The painful reality is that it is not easy to be a relative of Jesus, because many of us still cling to the things that bind us to this world—self-centeredness, arrogance, greed, and many other attitudes that slowly harden our hearts. When we allow these to rule us, we begin to resemble not the family of Christ, but the ways of the evil one.
But all is not lost. As long as we desire to change, grace is at work in us. If we truly want to be relatives of Jesus, we must strive to become more like Him—embracing His humility, imitating His kindness, and living out His countless selfless acts of love. This is not a journey of one day, but a daily conversion of the heart.
So today, as we stand before the Lord and listen again to His invitation, let us ask ourselves with sincerity and courage: Do we really want to be relatives of Jesus—and if so, are we willing to live, love, and give ourselves as He did? — Marino J. Dasmarinas
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