A FAMILY AFFAIR

In the Gospel we read today, Jesus had been informed that his mother and brothers sought to speak to him. His response is what sits at the crux of our discourse: ‘

For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother'. (Matt 12:50)

Therefore, beyond the confines of blood, adoption, marriage or other enduring bonds, Jesus expanded the definition of ‘family’ to include ‘commitment to a unified purpose for God’ such that even in the absence of all the well known boundaries above, a family can still exist.

Any location then where there is a commitment to ‘thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven’, you have found a family of God’. This gives context to ‘where two or three are gathered in His name, He is present. Why? Because a gathering in his name will seek to enforce the will of the Father and that is a family in His eyes. So whenever the family gets together, all members turn up.

Our questions for reflection then are ‘has God found a family with me, and how important is His will in my life?

#sly