Homily For Tuesday Twenty-Fifth Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 23rd September, 2025. The Memorial of St. Pio of Pietrelcina

 

Readings: Ezra 6:7-8.12.14-20; Ps.122; Luke 8:19-21

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

DOING THE WILL OF GOD IS THE ONLY WAY TO BELONG TO THE TRUE FAMILY OF JESUS

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 helps us in coping with some painful emotions as it improves our motivation. Hence, we often want to belong and identify with one another, with our friends and families, with 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. When he was told that his mother and brothers were standing outside and wanted 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. Firstly, he talks 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 contradict his own teaching about loving one's parents and loving one's neighbours. However, Jesus is using this opportunity to emphasise 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, before 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 we heard how the chosen people of God through the help of King Cyrus and Darius. Rebuild the Temple that was destroyed out of disobedience. And now they came back as one family to joyfully dedicate this Temple of God.

Dear friends, where do we ultimately and truly belong? Do you belong to the true family of Jesus? As Christians, we claim 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 made to know that doing the will of God is the ultimate way of belonging to the true family of Jesus. Therefore, 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 unite us together.

This is what we see in the life of St. Pio, whose memorial we celebrate today. He is a good example of a disciple who belongs to the family of God. For he understood the sacrificial nature of doing the will of God through the mission of Christ and lived by it. Many came to believe in God through him and many were strengthened in their faith through his works and piety.

Though St. Pio experienced great difficulties in the course of his mission, this was so serious that they almost had his faculty of hearing confessions taken from him because of his spiritual experiences and grace.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, we truly belong to you. Give us the grace to always do your will, and as we carry out your activities today, grant success to the works of our hands, through Christ our Lord. Amen. God bless you.