MY MOTHER AND MY BROTHERS

PRAYER MOMENT                      

Tuesday 23 September 2014.

MY MOTHER AND MY BROTHERS

Pause. Be still in God’s presence.

Reading: “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and put it into practice.” (Luke 8:19-21)

Reflection. The abrupt reaction of Jesus to the news that his relatives had come to see him  startles us. He does not drop everything because his relations have come. In fact he seems to view their coming as a distraction. It can be hard for us to grasp the urgency with which Jesus spoke and acted. He wanted people to grasp the imminent coming of God’s kingdom. He wanted then to understand it and live it. He wanted them to know that it meant a break with their former lives and family with all its ties could be a way of drawing them away from the values of the kingdom. Can we understand what that means for us? Obviously he is not rejecting his mother and brothers. He wants to put first things first. The kingdom and its demands and promises must invade family life and transform it. Otherwise what is the point of his mission? As we approach the meeting in Rome next month on the family we hope and pray it will help us come closer to these things.

Prayer. Lord Jesus, you long to see us live by the will of the Father. Give us a taste of your urgency that our world may be transformed. Amen  

David Harold-Barry SJ