23 July 2019
Tuesday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time
My parents and sister could not attend my priestly ordination because the US State Department rejected their visa application to the United States. In the end, there was no immediate family present at my ordination. I am blessed with many friends and distant relatives who attended my ordination, and, in many ways, I consider them as my brothers, sisters, and mothers.
My experience is definitely different from the Gospel today, but at least there is similarity. In the movie Mary of Nazareth (2013), directed by Giacomo Campiotti, there was a scene when Mary tries to get in to see Jesus. Rather than allowing her entrance, Jesus asks a theological question, “Who are my mother and brothers?” Jesus then answers his own question, “for whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.” Jesus’ relatives were devastated to hear such a statement and they were convinced that Jesus had disowned his own mother. So, they urge Mary to go home. Mary herself was initially confused, but then she understood and a smile emerges. In the end, Mary states that she will follow Jesus on his journey. When questioned by her relatives about how she can continue to follow Jesus who disowned her, Mary answers simply, “He is my Lord.”
In your prayers today, reflect on the relationship you have with your parents or sister or brother. Is there any moment when you did not treat your sister or brother or parents as “your own.” Have there been any situations that have forced you to see beyond traditional family boundaries and consider others as your brother, sister, or mother or father despite the fact that they have no biological or blood relation with you? The real question is whether the Father will be glorified in this relationship. How might you glorify the Father in your relationship with others that you consider as your brothers, sisters, or mothers?