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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Immediately following the resurrection of Christ, the Apostles embraced their mission to spread the Good News to the ends of the earth, starting in Jerusalem. As Peter says in the Acts of the Apostles:
“This man, you killed using lawless men to crucify him. But God raised him up!”
Their message was startling; literally life-changing.
While large numbers of people converted to Christianity, a significant number were also martyred for their faith, Saint Stephen being the first example.
The reasons were many.
One significant reason was the spread of false propaganda or mis-information by the powers that be. Christians were called “cannibals,” because they believed Christ was fully-present in the Eucharist, thus they “ate the flesh…and drank the blood” of their God.
They were called “incestuous,” because they referred to one another as “brothers and sisters,” a practice taught by Christ in today’s Gospel.
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“Who are my mother and my brothers?” Jesus asks the crowd. Looking around, he says, “Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”
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Jesus was teaching his listeners that he came to establish a new family with bonds transcending flesh and blood.
In baptism, you and I become part of God’s family, the Church – a family whose relationships do not dissolve in death. We are equals, and should treat one another accordingly – never as inferior, as enemies, or as rivals, but as “brothers and sisters in Christ.”
Imagine the many people whom you might interact with today.
Whatever we do them – as brothers and sisters – we do to the Lord himself.
The scribes who had come from Jerusalem said of Jesus, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “By the prince of demons he drives out demons.”
Summoning them, he began to speak to them in parables, “How can Satan drive out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand; that is the end of him. But no one can enter a strong man’s house to plunder his property unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can plunder his house. Amen, I say to you, all sins and all blasphemies that people utter will be forgiven them. But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an everlasting sin.” For they had said, “He has an unclean spirit.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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If we venture into our kitchens this morning and do a “head-count” of all our dishes, we may find we have a few imperfect sets.
Incomplete sets are the mark of a “lived-in” kitchen. Many of us have children or grandchildren running around, for example. I myself am clumsy from time to time.
Maybe a bowl fell off the counter last week; a glass broke in the dishwasher; a wet plate slid from our hands.
What do we do when a dish breaks?
We sweep it into the garbage.
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That’s how we deal with most things when they’re broken.
That space heater that fizzled out this winter; that wobbly wooden chair; that old couch the kids jumped on just one too many times.
Toss it. Drag it out to the curb. Throw it in the dumpster.
But what about a broken heart? A weak marriage? A person burdened by regret? A crumbling relationship God?
Are we to be disposed of like a broken bowl?
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The Japanese have a fascinating custom called Kintsugi.
When a bowl is broken, they don’t throw it away; rather, they piece it back together using glue and gold.
They say that breakage and repair are all part of the history of that object. The focus is not on how the object broke, but that it was restored.
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Haven’t we all been broken like a bowl at some point in our lives?
We’ve been diagnosed with cancer; we’ve struggled with addiction; we’ve lost our job, our home, our marriage, or even a child – born or unborn.
Life has a way of breaking us.
But broken hearts – and by extension, broken lives – can be put back together. That’s what our faith – and forgiveness – is all about.
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Throughout the Gospels, Jesus seeks out the sinful, the sorrowful, the possessed – and he heals them.
“For I did not come to call the righteous,” he says, “but sinners.” The broken ones.
Ask any of those healed, Jesus has a way of filling those cracks and chips in our lives with the golden glue of his mercy.
In that sense, the Lord is the ultimate Kintsugi artist. He can piece anyone back together, no matter how much damage has occurred.
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We gather this morning all too aware of the anniversary of Roe v. Wade – and the political, social, and religious rhetoric associated with it.
Instead of pointing fingers, enflaming an already accusatory culture, or heaping blame on this person or that, perhaps we all need to admit that we are – or have been – broken within for one reason or another. It’s part of living with freedom in an imperfect world.
The way for us to move forward together in authentic peace is to model our lives after Jesus, who, “came to seek and to save the lost,” which, in the end, includes all who’ve called this world home (Luke 19:10).
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In what ways is the Lord inviting me to follow him more closely? How can I put the needs of others – and the will of God – ahead of my own?
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For all who’ve gone to the Lord, especially those whom we remember today – born and unborn, we pray:
Eternal rest grant unto them, O LORD, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace.
After John had been arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God: “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”
As he passed by the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea; they were fishermen. Jesus said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Then they abandoned their nets and followed him. He walked along a little farther and saw James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They too were in a boat mending their nets. Then he called them. So they left their father Zebedee in the boat along with the hired men and followed him.
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Above my desk where I pray each morning, there’s a large watercolor wrapped in a gold frame. There’s only one object painted in the picture: a small empty boat anchored in the water.
It moves something deep inside of me because it not only reminds me of the scene unfolding in today’s Gospel, when four of the Apostles drop their nets and follow Jesus; it also reminds me of the moment when I did the same.
I remember vividly sitting on the beach on a warm summer’s night saying, “Yes, Lord, I will follow you.” Shortly thereafter, I entered the seminary. All these years later, here we are.
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I’m sure some of you have had a similar experience – a moment of conversion, a leap of faith, a time when your relationship with Jesus became intensely personal. Such moments are seared into our memory.
When John describes that moment when Jesus called him and the others, he includes a particular detail: “It was about four o’clock in the afternoon,” as if to say it was a precise moment that forever changed their lives.
This was the beginning of their journey.
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There are several lessons we can learn from the Apostles’ initial moment of following the Lord.
When the Lord speaks, there’s an urgency to respond. It’s an appointed time; there’s an abundance of grace offered. Think of the angel Gabriel waiting for Mary to say, “Yes.”
She didn’t say, “Gabe, let me get back to you after the wedding.” Or, “Let me talk with Joseph first.” After her brief dialogue with the angel, she immediately said,“Let it be done unto me according to your word.”
As did the Apostles.
Mark tells us, when Jesus passed by, immediately they dropped their nets and followed him. James and John even left their father, Zebedee, standing in the boat. There was no time for them to say farewell; no time to return home and pack; no time to second guess.
When the Lord calls, we are compelled to answer. In the words of Samuel, “Here I am, LORD, I come to do your will.”
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That’s often all the Lord reveals in the invitation to follow him – “Come and see.” We cannot peer into the future, because we might become overwhelmed, afraid, second guess, or even run away.
Jesus knew the shadow of the Cross loomed over all of them. In fact, ten of the Twelve Apostles will be martyred for their faith! Peter and his brother Andrew will be crucified. Yet they will also change the course of history, sharing the Gospel with the world.
Had the Apostles known all they would have to endure – from mistreatment and imprisonment to breaking ground as missionaries – would they still have said, “Yes”? Might they have second guessed themselves? Or questioned God’s plans?
Perhaps the weight of such knowledge and responsibility – for Peter, in particular – would’ve been overwhelming. As the Lord says elsewhere, “Do not worry about tomorrow, sufficient for a day are its own troubles.”
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Have you ever wondered why the Lord choose these men, in particular?
God alone knows every reason, but one thing is clear: Jesus chose ordinary people to be the foundation of his Church because Gospel work is for everyone, not a select few.
While the Lord asked the Apostles to part with their families, their nets, and their boat, he did not ask them to part with their identity. Jesus uses their skills and past experience as fishermen to make them, “fishers of men.”
So it is with us. God gives each of us unique talents and experiences, which are not only meant for worldly pursuits, but also to be put in the service of the Gospel.
Rarely does the Lord does demand a total abandonment of our family, finances, or future in order to follow him; most of us are called to do his will in ordinary ways – at home as parents, at work as colleagues, as co-workers in the vineyard of the world.
But, what does it mean for you when Jesus says, “Follow me”? How do you see yourself using your skills and experience to contribute to the mission of the Church?
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Above my desk where I pray each morning, there’s a large watercolor depicting a small empty boat anchored in the water. Whoever parted from it must’ve had no idea what their future held.
It’s a reminder to me that we’re all called to drop our nets – to leave our self behind – and follow Jesus, each in our own way.
What does it mean for you?
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Image credits: (1) Miraculous Draught of Fishes, Raphael (2) Watercolor Painting of a Landscape with a Wooden Boat on the River Covered with Fog, Amazon.com (3) Jeremiah’s Call Ministries
