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Gospel: Mark 3: 31-35
The mother of Jesus and his brothers arrived at the house.
Standing outside, they sent word to Jesus and called him.
A crowd seated around him told him,
“Your mother and your brothers and your sisters
are outside asking for you.”
But he said to them in reply,
“Who are my mother and my brothers?”
And looking around at those seated in the circle he said,
“Here are my mother and my brothers.
For whoever does the will of God
is my brother and sister and mother.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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This Gospel passage raises several questions.
For example, “How can Jesus have ‘brothers and sisters’ if Mary remained a virgin throughout her life?”
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Some ancient languages like Hebrew and Aramaic (the language which Jesus spoke) did not have words to describe extended family. So, the “brothers and sisters” whom Jesus is referring to could be his cousins.
Another possibility is that Jesus had step-siblings. While we are not certain, some Christians like Saint Jerome believed that Joseph might’ve had children from a previous marriage.
In either case, the Acts of the Apostles report these “brothers and sisters” as being active members in the early Church. (Acts 1:14)
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An even deeper question is, “How can we claim to be Jesus’ mother, or sister, or brother if we are not his cousins or step siblings ?”
Jesus came to establish a new family – a heavenly family – which transcends flesh and blood; it includes anyone who does the will of God. Hence, we are all his brothers and sisters.
It sounds odd, but in a sense we also become “mother” to Jesus whenever we bring his love into the world. As Teresa of Avila once wrote, “God has no hands and feet but yours.”
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How does this Gospel passage lead me to see my neighbor differently?
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May we embrace all people as members of the same family and love each other accordingly.
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Image credits: (1) theidolbabbler.com, WordPress (2) World Mission Society Church of God (3) Eternal Reunion, Ken Turner