25th Week of Ordinary Time 2024 - Tuesday - The Adelphoi of Jesus

 Family ties were of the utmost importance in Jesus’ day, as they continue to be in our time to some degree.

In the Gospel today, we hear how during the course of his public ministry, the Lord Jesus was approached by his mother and those whom our english translation calls his brothers, though the Greek word in Luke’s Gospel is adelphoi, which could also refer to Jesus’ other relatives, like cousins and uncles and even close family friends, coworkers, neighbors, and members of ones religious community, as we use it today, when we use the word brethren. 

When, Jesus’ adelphoi show up, it would have been pretty much expected for him to stop what he was doing and go out to meet them. And yet, the lord takes the opportunity to teach: “My mother and my adelphoi are those who hear the word of God and act on it.” In other words, there is a bond deeper than even biological ties—the bond between those who strive to do the will of God. The Lord foreshadows here the bond—the unity –of the baptized. 

Through Baptism—Christians enter into a supernatural bond with God and one another—a bond of those who have God as Father and Jesus as brother. The Church is the family of God.  To quote Pope Francis, “The Church is not an organization born out of an agreement between some persons but the work of God—the supreme act of love on the Cross, The Church is born of God’s desire to call all men and women to communion with him, to friendship with him, even further, to participate as his children in his very divinity.” 

This deeper bond of the baptized, the family of God, challenges us to look beyond earthly relationships—and find our deepest identity as children of God. This unity is not just symbolic but calls for a real commitment to live in communion with one another, supporting and loving each other as true brothers and sisters in Christ. It calls us to forgive, to be merciful, and to be self-giving, just as Christ has shown us. As members of this divine family, we are called to be witnesses of God’s love in the world, extending that love to all we meet, especially those in need. In this way, we live out our identity as God’s children, bound together not by blood, but by grace.

We do well to pray for a strengthening of the bonds among Christians, to pray for one another, that we may love God and each other, responding to the word of God with generous hearts, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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For all Christians, that through the grace of Baptism, we may be strengthened to live in communion with one another, forgiving, being merciful, and witnessing God’s love to the world. 

For families, that they may be places where the love of God is experienced and shared, and that they may grow in holiness, reflecting the unity of the family of God, 

For those who feel isolated or estranged from their families, that they may find comfort and belonging in the Church, the family of God, and be drawn into a deeper relationship with Christ,  .

For the sick, the poor, the lonely, and all those in need, that we may extend the love and compassion of Christ to them, and work to build a world where all are treated with dignity and respect, 

For the deceased members of our families and parishes, that they may rest in the eternal peace of God’s kingdom.

Incline your merciful ear to our prayers, we ask, O Lord, and listen in kindness to the supplications of those who call on you. Through Christ our Lord.

3rd Week in OT 2019 - Tuesday - The family of Jesus

At the end of chapter 3 of Mark’s Gospel, we hear of Jesus’ relatives coming to Capernaum. Have they traveled from Nazareth to become his disciples? Not exactly. Mark tells us, they came “to seize him”.

For the ancient Jews, as for many non-Western cultures today, an individual existed only as part of an extended family unit, whose authority-structure, obligations, and customs governed every aspect of life. Any action by an individual was a reflection on the whole family, and any breach of family-honor could be met with severe discipline. Since Jesus’ foster-father, Joseph, was presumably no longer alive at this point, Jesus’ uncles and senior cousins would have considered him under their charge and answerable to them for his conduct.

And so, Jesus’ relatives come to Capernaum to bring him home. From their perspective, Jesus should be back in Nazareth making tables and chairs, not associating with throngs of sick and demon-possessed people, not to mention arousing the hostility of the religious leaders. Their action was probably motivated by a desire to protect him. They probably thought he was out of his mind, maybe even possessed by some evil spirit.

Pointing out his disciples and saying, “here are my mother and my brothers” would have been shocking in the cultural context of first-century Judaism. But it is an early indication in Mark’s Gospel of a principle that becomes clearer and clearer as the Gospel progresses: all earthly ties take second place to the kingdom of God.

Jesus isn’t rejecting his biological family, here. But, if they wish to claim membership in the kingdom of God, they will have to accept His Gospel, they will have to accept Him as Lord and Savior in order to be included in the family of the Church. And many of them do. Jesus’ “adelphoi” the Greek word for cousins and relatives, are mentioned in the book of Acts, gathered in prayer with Mary at Pentecost.

We who believe in Jesus and are baptized are not merely his followers, we are his family. For he has established the new covenant family of God—whose members are united in a bond of love and faith and loyalty and grace that is stronger than any blood relationship. The bonds of this new family are not severed, but endure, even death.

“Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother” The absolute priority in the heart of Jesus is to do his Father’s will. May at be ours as well, for the Glory of God and salvation of souls.
 
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That Catholics may live out their baptismal call with ever greater conviction, faithfulness and joy.

That those in civic authority may submit their minds and hearts to the rule of Christ, the Prince of Peace and Hope of the nations.

 That our parish families and the families of all of our school children will be places where the Christian faith is believed, followed, taught, and cherished.

For the students, teachers, staff, and alumni of St. Ignatius School and all of our Catholic Schools.
For all the needs of the sick and the suffering, the homebound, those in nursing homes and hospitals, the underemployed and unemployed, immigrants and refugees, victims of natural disaster, war, and terrorism, for all those who grieve the loss of a loved one, and those who will die today, for their comfort, and the consolation of their families.

For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.

Homily: Sept 20 2016 - St Andrew Kim and holy martyrs of Korea - "those who hear the word and act on it"

Saint Andrew Kim was the first native-born Korean priest, and he was beheaded for the faith. He, and St. Paul Chong Hasang with their 111 companions were martyred over the course of many years, but were canonized together by Saint John Paul II in 1984.

For centuries, Catholicism was seen as a threat to Korean customs and traditions, so Christianity took root in Korea only after much struggle and effort. But when it did begin to take root, those roots were strong.

Andrew wrote to his fellow Christians the following words: “We have received baptism, entrance into the Church, and the honor of being called Christians. Yet what good will this do us if we are Christians in name only and not in fact?”

What good is baptism if we are Christian in name only? Jesus offers a similar sentiment in the Gospel today: what good is it being simply being called a brother of Christ? “My brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it.”

The martyrs, through their faithful witness, show us what it truly means to be a brother of Christ. Because he so cared for the souls of his fellow Koreans, St. Andrew risked his life smuggling missionaries into Korea, so that his native countrymen might have the Word of God preached to them—that they might discover how Christianity isn’t a threat to Korea, it is the path to it’s true greatness. He was captured, tortured, and killed for his care for souls.

At their 1984 canonization ceremony, Saint John Paul II called Saint Andrew Kim, Saint Paul and their 111 companions “the leaven” that lead to the splendid flowering of the Church in Korea.
How are we called to be “leaven” today—the leaven that will lead to the flowering of the Church in our own land? What will we do today that will lead souls to Christ? What will our Christian witness look like today in our own limited capacity?

How might we, like St. Andrew, "smuggle" the Gospel into the lives of our grandchildren, neighbors...

The blood of the martyrs is the most powerful leaven in the Church, inspired by the heroic sacrifices of the martyrs, may the Holy Spirit teach us to pour ourselves out in faithful service this day, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.