Belonging to the Spiritual Family!

Tuesday, July 23, 2024

Mi 7:14-15,18-20; Mt 12:46-50

Today’s Gospel highlights the new relationship that we enter into, thanks to our faith in Jesus. 

There appears to be a conflict between natural and spiritual relationships in the Gospel. 

It looks as if Jesus is harsh toward his family when they desire to speak with him. 

However, if we closely observe, Jesus does not disrespect his family, nor does he disown them. 

Rather, his emphasis falls on the newer relationship that we have acquired through his name.

It is with this view that Jesus invites us to embrace the larger family united by faith in him. 

If natural family ties boast of blood relations, the faith community boasts of a kinship brought about by the blood of Christ. 

Our ability to transcend our immediate family ties reveals the level of our commitment to belong to this faith community. 

Hence, Jesus’ call does not mean to desert our natural families, but to discover the blessing that the spiritual family has become. 

For Christians, natural families may be the origin, but the spiritual family is our destination. 

Let us pray that our belonging to the spiritual family may enrich our relationship with the natural family. 

Fr. Dhinakaran Savariyar