Word to the Wise
Tuesday, July 19, 2016 - Tuesday in the 16th Week in Ordinary Time
[Mic 7:14-15, 18-20 and Matt 12:46-50]"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." [Matthew]
The Gospel of Matthew borrows heavily from the Gospel of Mark, but in case of today's scripture, that borrowing omits the reason why Jesus' family "appeared outside, wishing to speak with him." [cf. Mk 3:20-21] They thought he was out of his mind and they were planning to "seize him." He was attracting the wrong kind of attention and causing the family to lose "honor" or "face." Our Catholic tradition teaches that Jesus was an only child, but he belonged to an extensive family network, and later on, after Jesus' death "kinship" with Jesus appears to have been a question in the community. The gospel accounts make it clear that natural kinship is not what mattered, only discipleship mattered, then and now.
Kinship bonds are powerful, which makes Jesus' statement all the more demanding. Faith creates a bond as powerful as kinship. But it is not just faith, but the practical day to day living of that faith as a disciple that makes the difference in the long run.
When I was a boy, there was an amusing line: "God is my father, Jesus is my brother, Mary is my mother....I come from a very holy family." We are all indeed made in the image and likeness of God, but it brings responsibility for which we will be held accountable. Discipleship is more than a title. AMEN
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