Just a few Sundays ago, the gospel reading from Mark recounted a moment from early in the public ministry of Jesus. He and the disciples had been to many towns and villages in Galilee and in the neighboring Decapolis region. There Jesus had cured many, cast out demons, and proclaimed the advent of the Kingdom of God. He was attracting huge crowds: “Jesus came with his disciples into the house. Again the crowd gathered, making it impossible for them even to eat.” (Mark 3:20).
Jesus’ family’s response was to “seize him, for they said, ‘He is out of his mind.’” (v.21) As the account unfolds in Mark and in the parallel from Matthew (our gospel for today) the family wants to talk to Jesus. I suspect to “talk some sense” into him. Their concern might only be for his well being: he is not taking care of himself, resting, and getting enough to eat. In any case, we read: “‘Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, asking to speak with you.’ But he said in reply to the one who told him, ‘Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?’” (Mt 12:47-48)
And then he answers his own question: “And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, and sister, and mother.’” (vv. 49-50)
To that straight forward reply, I will leave you with a reflection on all this from St. Francis of Assisi:
“They are children of the heavenly Father whose works they do, and they are spouses, brothers, and mothers of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are spouses when the faithful soul is joined to our Lord Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit. We are brothers to Him when we do the will of the Father Who is in Heaven. We are mothers when we carry Him in our heart and body through divine love and pure and sincere conscience and give birth to Him through a holy activity which must shine as an example before others.”
Citation: Earlier Exhortation, para 8 (also known as Second Letter to the Faithful) in Francis of Assisi: Early Documents, Vol. 1: The Saint, The Franciscan Institute of St. Bonaventure University (1999 | p.42)
Image credit: “Mocking of Christ” by Ciambue | 1280 |Louvre, Paris | PD-US