Word to the Wise
Tuesday, September 24, 2024 - Tuesday in the 25th Week in Ordinary Time
[Prov 21:1-6, 10-13 and 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.: [Luke]
The Gospel According to Luke, like the Gospel According to Matthew, relies a lot on the Gospel According to Mark. Scholars have noted the tendency in Luke to "soften" the Gospel According to Mark. We have an example of this in today's gospel scripture. In the Gospel According to Mark, the reason for the presence of Jesus' mother and brothers is that they think Jesus is "out of his mind" and they are there to seize him. The evangelist Luke leaves that motivation out of the story and focuses on the issue of relationship. Jesus makes the point that the usual loyalties to family, clan and tribe do not make a person a disciple. What matters is that a person "hear the word of God and act on it."
How much does the "word of God" motivate our daily contact? Do we even "hear" it beyond attending Mass? "Hearing" and "acting" go together. The parables of Jesus are meant to accomplish that very connection. For example, the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:29-37 is Jesus' response to the question, "Who is my neighbor?" In Luke we also find the parables of the Rich Man and Lazarus [16:19-21] and the Rich Fool [12:13-21]. In all of these parables, it is an act or a failure to act that makes the difference. In the Gospel According to Matthew, the parable of the Last Judgment it is a matter of "seeing" and acting. "When did we see you....? As often as you did it for the least of my brothers and sisters, you did it for me!" [Matt. 25:40].
If we want to be a member of Jesus' family, we have to hear his word and act on it. Piety alone is insufficient. AMEN
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