Word to the Wise
Tuesday, September 23, 2025 - Tuesday in the 25th Week in Ordinary Time
[Ezra 6:7-8, 12b, 14-20 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]
SEPTEMBER 23 ST. PIUS OF PIETRELCINA [Padre Pio]
Tribe, clan and family were extremely important in biblical times. The three synoptic gospels report the incident of Jesus family coming to see him, but only the Gospel According to Mark mentions that they were there to "seize him, for they said, 'He is out of his mind.'" [Mark 3:21]. Fortunately, their attempted intervention was not successful! But the occasion allowed Jesus to dismiss tribe, clan and family as categories for faith. Rather, the one category would be those who "hear the word of God and act on it."
Does this mean that family is not important for faith? Of course it doesn't, but the relationship can be complicated. In my pastoral experience in campus ministry, I have had to respond to anxious parents who felt their offspring had been "kidnapped" by a particular religious group on campus that demanded the primary allegiance of the student. On the other hand, I have dealt with students whose parents have threatened to disown them if the student joined the Catholic church!!! Promising relationships, even engagements, have been broken because of religious identity!
Wise discernment is needed to place faith in its proper priority. Each week, at least on Sunday, we hear the Word of God. How do we "act on it?" Jesus warns that family conflict can and will result from following him! Large doses of forgiveness are required. The ultimate goal of eternal life can be forgotten in the conflicts. It might be helpful to ask a question from a movement dating from the 1970's: "What would Jesus do?" He is the model for "acting on the Word of God" since he is that very Word. AMEN