Mic 7:14-15, 18-20 Ps 85:2-4, 5-6, 7-8 Matt 12:46-50

Weekly Guide for Daily Prayer The Daily Reflections

“Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” The theme of Matthew’s Gospel today is something that I have long struggled with, and continue to do so today. I often find myself asking, is Jesus really calling us NOT to give preference to our own flesh and blood parents and siblings? I initial think that I must have misinterpreted him, that this teaching is TOO radical… yet, the more I reflect upon the teaching and life of Christ the more I come to see ‘radicalism’ as the norm for Jesus. That being the case… what am I supposed to do with this?

Though it is something I still often times struggle with, I recently made a helpful discovery: Jesus is calling us to treat everyone as our brother, sister, and mother… not the other way around. He is not proclaiming that we must abandon, ignore, or dismiss the relationships that we have with our own family members. Instead, he is calling us to expand those relationships, to increase the love we have for those around us. It is a slight distinction, but I found it to be life-giving.

I have experienced this through the various service trips that I have been on. Whether in the US, Dominican Republic, or Uganda, I have been welcomed into each household as if I truly was a member of the family. Talking with others who have made similar trips, I know my experience is not unique; and, often times, it is this extension of hospitality that becomes the most memorable. I believe this is what Jesus is calling us to. He is calling us to truly look upon the people we encounter in our day-to-day lives as family, and treat them accordingly: to welcome them, forgive them, and love them.