To be Brethren of Christ
Gospel Reflections for Sept. 24th, 2024 - 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.”
Today we experience a startling scene where Jesus appears to be rejecting his mother and brothers, or in Greek His adelphoi meaning brethren. He is told that his mother and brethren are wishing to speak to him but could not reach him due to the crowds of people.
What we then see is that Jesus takes advantage of this situation to impress upon those listening a deeper message. He says to them “my mother and my adelphoi are those who hear the word of God and act on it.”
It seems to be such a simple teaching - hear the word of God and act on it and you will be considered brethren by Jesus our Lord. Yet if we dive deeper into what Jesus is saying here we begin to see that He is putting the work of salvation and the Kingdom of God before even family.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church has this to say “‘This Kingdom shines out before men in the word, in the works and in the presence of Christ.’ To welcome Jesus’ word is to welcome ‘the Kingdom itself.’ The seed and beginning of the Kingdom are the ‘little flock’ of those whom Jesus came to gather around him, the flock whose shepherd he is. They form Jesus’ true family. To those whom he thus gathered around him, he taught a ‘new way of acting’ and a prayer of their own.” CCC 764
Hearing the word of God can so enliven our spirit that we can choose to act upon that word which we hear, accepting Christ Himself and becoming part of His flock which He gathers and shepherds. It is today’s Gospel that impresses upon us that hearing the word of Christ and acting upon it in our daily lives, not perfectly, but in earnest brings us into the family of Christ. That Christ will call us adelphoi and we can joyously rest within His flock, knowing we have a good shepherd who has laid down His life for us.
AMEN! Well.said!