Readings:
Prov. 21:1-6.10-13, Ps.119, Luke 8:19-21
Rev.
Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.
WHERE DO YOU ULTIMATELY BELONG?
One of
the psychological and spiritual needs of the human person is the sense of
belonging, this need is just like the need for food, clothes and shelter. The
feeling of belonging is fundamental to our sense of happiness and well-being,
for it gives value to life and help us in coping with some painful emotions as
it improves our motivation. Hence, we often want to belong and identify with
one another, to our friends and families, to our culture and from one
association and group to another.
However,
one of the common and safest place to belong is our families, especially when
it is rooted in the family of God. So today in our Gospel passage, Jesus speaks
about belonging to his family and his relationship with members of his family.
For when he was told that his mother and brothers were standing outside and
want to see him’. He said: my mother and my brothers are those who hear the
word of God and put it into practice.’
Here,
Jesus speaks of two ways the people around him could be identified as members
of his family. First, he talked about those who belong to the family of his
birth that is, his mother, father and relations. Then his other family which is
made up of those who do the will of God.
This
family he says, is his true family where doing the will of God is the only way
of belonging to this family. This is not to say that Jesus is rejecting his
biological family; to do so would be contradicting his own teaching about
loving ones parents and loving ones neighbours. However, Jesus is using this
opportunity to emphasize that our relationship with God is more important and
should be based on our total commitment to doing the will of God through him.
Surprisingly,
Mary the mother of Jesus belongs to both sides of the family, for she gave
birth to Jesus and also was the first to do the will of God when she said, “let it be done unto me according to
your word” (Luke 1:38). For this reason she is the first disciple of Jesus and
a model for all Christians.
Thus,
to be a Christian or a disciple is to enter into the family of Jesus and
embrace a new relationship with God and with one another and this is the most
important place to belong. All other bonds, including those of blood should be
considered secondary. Because, belonging to God is fundamental to our basic
relationships, prior to all human relations.
For we
belong first to God before belonging to our families, after which we all go
back to God where we ultimately belong, which will be determined by how we have
done the will of God here on earth. And our first reading taking from the book
for proverbs tells us that a man’s conduct may strike him as upright, but the
Lord, however, weighs the heart.
Dear
friends, where do we ultimately and truly belong? Do you belong to the true
family of Jesus? As Christians, we claimed to belong to God, do our attitudes
and decisions show that we truly belong to God? Do we not often commit
ourselves to things contrary to the faith we professed in God? So, today we are
called to do the will of God always in order to truly belong to that true
family of Jesus where love of God and love of neighbour unites us together.
LET US
PRAY: Lord God, we truly belong to you, give us the grace to always do your
will and as we carryout our activities today, grant success to the works of our
hands, through Christ our Lord. Amen. God bless you.
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