Mother and Brothers
Tuesday of the Twenty-Fifth Week in Ordinary Time
Read this Gospel passage aloud to the family
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.”
(Parent) Reread this part a few times aloud
“My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it.”
(Parent) Read this meditation aloud to the family
This scene is recorded in different Gospels and we hear it more than once during the liturgical year. There is much to reflect on concerning Jesus’ reply. Perhaps Mary was hurt at first by what seemed to be an insensitive response from Jesus, until she contemplated the deeper meaning of His answer. Then she would have understood what a compliment it was to her. But instead of focusing on Jesus and Mary directly today, let’s focus instead on “those who hear the word of God and act on it.”
Those “who hear the word of God and act on it” are the family of God! God considers them to be His mother and His brothers. This means that God desires for us that we be wonderfully close to Him. We should therefore pay very close attention to what we need to do to be this close to Him. There are two things the Lord asks of us: 1) to hear Him, 2) to act on what we hear. These are two of the primary purposes of daily meditation. We hear God by reading Scripture. When we read, and something catches our attention, we need to stop and reflect. Our reflection will help us to discern a practical way to act upon what we have heard. If we are faithful to daily meditation, we will hear the word of God and act on it every day. Thus, we will grow closer to God our Father and Christ our Brother.
As a family, pray a portion of the Rosary together (very short if children are young) reflecting on the Scripture passage above. (Optional: allow a brief time for discussion or questions from children concerning their thoughts and prayer.)
Reminder for Parents: Pier is just meant to be a jumping off point. The real goal is that you pray & eventually use the fruits of your personal prayer as the content of your family’s prayer. Duc in altum.
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