Here Are My Mother And My Brethren

 

Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother.

Reflection on Today’s Readings, Tuesday of 16th Week in Ordinary Time, Year II, July 23rd, 2024
Texts: Micah 7: 14151820; Psalm 85:2-8; Matthew 12:46-50 

Jesus Christ reveals, today, what makes us His brothers and sisters. What is it? It is doing the will of God. He puts it thus: "Here are my mother and my brethren! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother, and sister, and mother." We do the will of God by our faithfulness to His words, Apostolic Tradition and the magisterium of the Church.  

St. Paul teaches us that we are built on Apostolic Tradition. He says, “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone” (Eph. 2:19-20).  

Jesus Christ speaks of the magisterium of the Church when He says, “Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me” (Luke 10:16).  

They ceased from being the people of God

Today’s first reading reminds us of tendency to fail in doing God’s will. This is clear as Prophet Micah prayed for a return to the good old days. He says, “Shepherd your people,  Lord, with your staff, the flock of your inheritance, who dwell alone in a forest in the midst of a garden land; let them feed in Bashan and Gilead as in the days of old.” They lost the good old days because they failed to do the will of God. They ceased from being the people of God.  

Prophet Micah also assured us of God’s readiness to welcome us back. He makes this clear when he proclaimed God’s mercy and readiness to pardon iniquities. He puts it thus: “He will again have compassion upon us, he will tread our iniquities under foot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.”

Prayer 

Show favour, O Lord, to your servants and mercifully increase the gifts of your grace, that, made fervent in hope, faith and charity, they may be ever watchful in keeping your commands. Amen (Collect) 

Fr. Andrew Olowomuke