16TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

Whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, and sister, and mother. 

Jesus was a “family man”—he loved and honored his parents and his relatives. So when his family arrived on the scene, we might have expected him to interrupt his teaching to enthusiastically greet them. Instead, he took the opportunity to teach an important lesson: as blessed as it is to be a member of Jesus’ immediate family, it is even more of a blessing to be united to him by doing the Father’s will.

To understand why Jesus would say this, we only have to look at the Gospels. His entire life was centered around doing the will of his Father. Even as a boy, Jesus was drawn to the Temple—“my Father’s house”—despite the fact that Mary and Joseph were frantically searching for him (Luke 2:49). He spent entire nights in communion with his Father, even after what must have been exhausting days of preaching and healing. Before making big decisions, like choosing the twelve apostles, he sought God’s will in prayer (6:12-13). He taught his disciples to pray that the will of his heavenly Father be done (Matthew 6:10). Jesus had come to do the will of his Father, and he urged us to do the same.

So how do you become Jesus’ “brother, and sister, and mother” (Matthew 12:50)? You follow in Jesus’ footsteps. You center your life on doing the will of the Father by listening to him each day in prayer and then acting on whatever he tells you. You carve out extra time to spend with him when you are facing a big decision. And like Jesus, you obey God even when it means that you might not be understood by the people closest to you.

This is by no means easy, but the reward is great. When you do your Father’s will, you are as close to Jesus as any of his blood relations ever were. These are family bonds that will endure into eternity. God is truly your Father and Jesus is truly your brother, now and forever.

“Jesus, I want to do the will of your Father today.”

Micah 7:14-15, 18-20
Psalm 85:2-8
Matthew 12:46-50