Daily Gospel Reflection
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July 23, 2024
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.”
In today’s gospel, I see Jesus offering us a great opportunity and privilege. He invites us to be as close to him as his own blood relatives and even closer. He shows us that his universal and reckless love creates a connection with us that is more perfect than we could ever imagine.
This wonderful promise of love and unity leads me to think about how much I love my family and how much they love me. These people raised me, kept me safe, and gave me the chance to live and love. I would not be alive without my family. I owe everything to them. They gave me all I have.
Yet, even these most intimate and caring relationships are just a participation in the love that the Lord is always showing us. Jesus promises that if we do the will of his Father, we will be closer to him than even his own kin. It is difficult to imagine a love like this. A love beyond the love we have of our family—a love completely transcendent of this world. It’s a love that we can never repay and only pray to accept. We become his brother, sister, and mother when we do his will. His will is not always apparent to us creatures, but he gives us all we need to follow him—himself.
Prayer
Loving God, we have heard the call of your Son, our faithful shepherd. May we imitate his love and compassion towards those we serve. Help us to be faithful in our responsibilities, and in our service of your kingdom. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.