I have a friend who struggles being patient with motorcycle drivers on the road. She’s gracious and kind to family members and friends, but when it comes to strangers, especially reckless drivers, she transforms into a furious person in a snap! But recently, she found it helpful to name the random motorcycle rider she encounters on the road. Instead of pulling down the window to yell at a motorist, she pauses to imagine that the driver is someone she knows—say, Arnold, the son of their helper, who is very polite and full of dreams. She’ll say, “That’s Arnold, driving a little bit faster because he wants to be home for dinner with his mother” or “That’s Dino, my bro in our volunteer organization, rushing to buy his wife’s medicines.”

She realized that when she looks at others as her family or friends who are imperfect but pursuing their own calling, it reminds her to be more like Jesus who knows how to accept, care for, and love people as His true brothers and sisters. Gretchen Veran (gretchen@getsmarterandbetter.com)

Reflect:

What does our Father in heaven want you to do for a brother or sister in need of His presence today?

Lord, grant me the grace to speak Your words and be an extension of Your love to my siblings from the same earthly parents and those from the same heavenly Father.

Saint Bridget, religious, pray for us.

God hates sin so much that He casts it into the deep sea and forgets it. Let us rejoice in His unending mercy toward us. Why would we be afraid of confessing our sins if we know that this is what God is going to do with them?

¹⁴ Shepherd your people with your staff, the flock of your inheritance, that dwells apart in a woodland, in the midst of Carmel. Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old; ¹⁵ As in the days when you came from the land of Egypt, show us wonderful signs. ¹⁸ Who is there like you, the God who removes guilt and pardons sin for the remnant of his inheritance; who does not persist in anger forever, but delights rather in clemency, ¹⁹ and will again have compassion on us, treading underfoot our guilt? You will cast into the depths of the sea all our sins; ²⁰ you will show faithfulness to Jacob, and grace to Abraham, as you have sworn to our fathers from days of old.

Responsorial Psalm | Psalm 85:2-4, 5-6, 7-8

R: Lord, show us your mercy and love.

² You have favored, O Lord, your land; you have brought back the captives of Jacob. ³ You have forgiven the guilt of your people; you have covered all their sins. 4 You have withdrawn all your wrath; you have revoked your burning anger. (R) ⁵ Restore us, O God our savior, and abandon your displeasure against us. ⁶ Will you be ever angry with us, prolonging your anger to all generations? (R) ⁷ Will you not instead give us life; and shall not your people rejoice in you? ⁸ Show us, O Lord, your kindness, and grant us your salvation. (R)

Gospel | Matthew 12:46-50

Once again, Jesus reminds us of the importance of the Father’s will. It is irrelevant who our parents are; what matters is that our hearts are obedient to the Father. Our parents may influence us by their example, but we decide whether to follow Jesus or not.

Gospel Acclamation

Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him and we will come to him.

⁴⁶ While Jesus was still speaking to the crowds, his mother and his brothers appeared outside, wishing to speak with him. ⁴⁷ Someone told him, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, asking to speak with you.” ⁴⁸ But he said in reply to the one who told him, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” ⁴⁹ And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. ⁵⁰ For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, and sister, and mother.”

Read the Bible in one year! Read PSALMS 81 - 85 today.

Generally, Filipinos have strong family ties. The Jews, too, put premium on family life. They keep track of their clan, their family tree, their genealogy. But how come in today’s Gospel, Jesus seemed to snub His brothers and mother outside?

The word “brothers” means adelphos in Greek, which refers to relatives. Therefore, those who were outside were not His brothers (siblings) by blood, but were actually His uncles, aunts, cousins, etc. Does it mean that He did not only offend His mother and cousins but all His relatives?

In truth, Jesus neither snubbed nor offended His relatives. In fact, He praised them for doing the will of the Father. When His family and relatives were looking for Him, they were actually concerned about Him. The previous verses say, “The relatives of Jesus were mindful that He is too busy with ministry that He did not have time to eat.”

Our first love experiences happened in the family setting. It is in our family where we learned how to be sensitive to the needs of others. Did you leave food for your brother or sister? Did you send a text message to your parents, asking for permission to go to your friend’s house after school? How easy is it for us to text someone at work or at school but not bother texting our loved ones? How easy is it for us to call our clients at work but never bother calling our parents?

We will eventually leave our family of origin to form our own family, but it does not mean we should stop loving them. In fact, we should care for them. The way we express our love for them will perhaps change, but the love will never end. Someone said, “Family, like branches on a tree, may grow in different directions, yet our roots remain as one.” Fr. Wen Amit, OCD

Reflection Questions:

Are you in touch with your family of origin? When was the last time you showed them how much you love and care for them?

Lord, even as I love my family of origin, I know that You love them more. Take care of them and protect them from all harm. Amen.

Today, I pray for: _________________________________