Overview:
Tuesday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time
A Reflection for Tuesday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time
He said to them in reply, “My mother and my brothers
are those who hear the word of God and act on it.” (Lk 8:21)
Find today’s readings here.
The word “family” carries a lot of weight. Whatever comes to mind when you hear it, I’m sure it is significant.
And as I’ve grown, this word has matured and changed right alongside me, taking on new meaning at each turn.
I still remember the moment that my five best friends from high school first felt like family to me. The parents of my closest friends from Boston College have also treated me as their own, more times than I can count.
I’m immensely fortunate to have a group of people in my life whom I consider my chosen family—people I cherish with a degree of love for which “friend” is far too weak of a word.
It’s affirming, and pretty cool, to know that Jesus felt the same way.
In today’s Gospel, he describes his family as someone “who hear[s] the word of God and act[s] on it.” In other words, people who reveal their true character through their words and their actions, in a way that resonates deeply with Jesus.
There are some things in life that bond us deeper than simply the situations we were born into. And there is immense value and joy in calling those situations, and people, out by name.
Whenever I find myself in a leadership position, I often use the word “family” to reference the group that I am leading. I have told teammates, retreat leaders and coworkers that they were family to me. Not to force an inauthentic connection—rather, to emphasize that there was an opportunity to be part of something special. A way to connect, deeper than what initially met the eye.
Jesus is reminding us that there is always an opportunity to make people feel like family.
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