+ In a nutshell, responding to a statement put forth by the crowds to Jesus who was inside a crowded house while “your mother and your brothers and your sisters” were outside, and they were asking for Jesus.
His reply was not: “In a minute”; or “Let me just finish my lesson”; or “I can’t be bothered right now”; or “Can’t you see that I am busy?”; or the familiar, “Don’t you realize I must be about my father’s business?”
No. Typical Jesus was to answer this statement with a deeper answer than anyone could have imagined. Typical Jesus was to lead all to a deeper truth, a deeper reality, a deeper understanding , and he answered their statement with a question: “Who are my mother and my brothers?”
Was this rhetorical? What this a joke? Was he not understanding? Was he presenting to them a riddle?
No. He was calling them, inviting them, bringing or birthing them into a new. profound and deeply faith-filled space.
He continued: “Here are my mother and brothers. For whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”
+ OK, here is the test.
Can we all say the same? Do we see one another as brother and sister?
Do we go way beyond blood relationship to faith, soul, hear, spirit, and brotherhood and sisterhood?
When we get in this place, we can begin to see the transforming unity that is God among us in Christ Jesus.
Father Perry D. Leiker is the 14th pastor of St. Bernard Catholic Church. Reach him at (323) 255-6142. Email Father Perry at pleiker@stbernard-church.com. Follow Father Perry on Twitter: @MrDeano76.
