Mk 3: 31-35
Then his mother and his brothers came; and standing outside, they sent to him and called him. A crowd was sitting around him; and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, asking for you.”
And he replied, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” And looking at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
Part of Jesus’ family
Jesus loved his mother. She raised him, nurtured him, and taught him to pray. In the Spiritual Exercises, St. Ignatius often invites us to meditate on the mother of Jesus and on the special place she has in his heart. So why in today’s Gospel does it seem like he gives her the cold shoulder?
Jesus wants to show us that even the most powerful earthly relationships pale in comparison to the relationship we can have with God. When we do the will of God with love, we not only serve God but we become an important member of his family. The will of God is not anything grand and mysterious beyond our reach. It is in the circumstances that present themselves to us in each hour of the day. Every moment is an opportunity for us to choose faithfulness to God, and in doing so we become members of his family and co-heirs of the Kingdom of God with Jesus.
How is God calling you to do his will right now, in this moment of the day?
—Justin Prom, SJ, is a Jesuit scholastic of the Midwest Province studying philosophy at Loyola University Chicago.
Lord, you have said that whoever does your will is your brother or sister. Help me to recognize your will, to do it courageously, and to invite others into this loving family of yours. I ask this in the name of Jesus, your Son.
Amen.
—Justin Prom, SJ
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Ignatian spirituality reminds us that God pursues us in the routines of our home and work life, and in the hopes and fears of life's challenges. The founder of the Jesuits, Saint Ignatius of Loyola, created the Spiritual Exercises to deepen our relationship with Christ and to move our contemplation into service. May this prayer site anchor your day and strengthen your resolve to remember what truly matters.
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