The mother of Jesus and his brothers came to him but were unable to join him because of the crowd. He was told, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside and they wish to see you.” He said to them in reply, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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If you asked most Catholics, I’m sure they’d say there are two things they feel the Church is constantly asking them for: time and money.
This is particularly true during the holidays.
You only need to read a church bulletin to see all of the opportunities to give – from Thanksgiving dinners, to care packages for the homeless, blankets, clothing, and Giving Trees.
Sometimes when I read these endless lists, I’m reminded of the good that so many people do – Catholic nuns like the Missionaries of Charity, in particular – to serve the less fortunate not only during the holidays, but every day.
But as Catholics, perhaps the Lord is calling us to change our mindset. We need to stop “volunteering.” To “volunteer” means, “to perform a particular action without obligation.”
Meaning, we could choose to volunteer at the local soup kitchen just as easily as we could choose to attend a Giants or Jets football game. There’s no sense of duty involved in either.
What we should do is “serve.” Service implies obligation; duty; a sense of commitment to another. The Lord makes it abundantly clear throughout the Gospels that whatever we do to one another, we do to him. In that sense, we’re obligated to serve.
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In today’s Gospel, Jesus is told that his mother, brothers, and sisters are outside, wanting to speak with him. In Mark’s account of this episode, the Lord replies, “Who are my mother and my brothers and sisters? … Those who hear the Word of God and act on it.”
Being part of any family comes with its sense of obligation – show up for the holidays, make phone calls, send birthday cards. But those who are part of Christ’s divine family must do more: be of loving service to each other.
This call we first received in baptism, when we were integrated into the body of Christ. The Christian life is simply an extension of living out that call.
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While it’s easy to feel like churches are always asking for “more,” use it as a reminder that giving is simply part of who we are.
Brothers and sisters in Christ.
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Image credits: (1) Renewing Worship (2) Ahead of the Curve (3) Resurrection Parish
Jesus said to the crowd: “No one who lights a lamp conceals it with a vessel or sets it under a bed; rather, he places it on a lampstand so that those who enter may see the light. For there is nothing hidden that will not become visible, and nothing secret that will not be known and come to light. Take care, then, how you hear. To anyone who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he seems to have will be taken away.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Imagine life without light.
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If you opened your fridge, you’d struggle to find the milk.
If you came to Mass, the church would be dark.
If you tried driving at night, the roads would be hauntingly black.
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Light is essential to how we live our lives.
But different size light bulbs are needed for different purposes.
In your fridge, a 40-watt bulb is perfect.
In a church, you need bigger bulbs.
At night, you need even larger ones to brighten our streets.
Each bulb serves the same purpose: to cast out the darkness, but each in their own place.
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In a similar way, God has given each of us a purpose in life – a unique way to shine bright, to share our faith, to be the face and voice of Christ.
Think of Padre Pio, whose feast day we celebrate today. He was the light in the darkness of the confessional, extending God’s infinite love and mercy to thousands of people.
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In what way do I light up the world around me?
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“No one who lights a lamp conceals it with a vessel or sets it under a bed,” Jesus says. “Rather, he places it on a lampstand so that those who enter may see the light.”
Be that light – shine “brightly” – where God has planted you and, together, Christians will light up the world today.
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Image credits: (1) International Catholic Stewardship Council (2) Monash Lens (3) International Leadership Institute
Jesus and his disciples left from there and began a journey through Galilee, but he did not wish anyone to know about it. He was teaching his disciples and telling them, “The Son of Man is to be handed over to men and they will kill him, and three days after his death the Son of Man will rise.” But they did not understand the saying, and they were afraid to question him.
They came to Capernaum and, once inside the house, he began to ask them, “What were you arguing about on the way?” But they remained silent. They had been discussing among themselves on the way who was the greatest. Then he sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.” Taking a child, he placed it in their midst, and putting his arms around it, he said to them, “Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Recently, I was standing outside of church after Mass, chatting with a few parishioners. When I turned around, I noticed a mother with her young daughter standing there, waiting to talk with me.
The child might’ve been three or four years old. She had a half-eaten cupcake resting on a paper plate with streaks of chocolate icing smeared across her cheeks.
“She’s been waiting all morning to ask you a question,” the mother said.
So, I knelt down to speak with her child eye-to-eye. The she asked:
“What color is God?”
Stunned, I paused and asked myself, “What color is God?” … “Well,” I said, “God made everything, so God must be every color of the rainbow.”
Her eyes filled with wonder, leading her to another question: “Then who made God?”
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Children are naturally curious, often asking the most literal questions imaginable, such as, “What color is God?”
They’re not embarrassed by their ignorance, nor do they bear a strong sense of social custom; they’ll ask, interrupt, cry, pout, and shout, persisting until they get an answer.
Jesus blesses their approach to the world. “Unless you change and become like children,” he says, “you cannot enter the kingdom of God.”
You must ask, question, seek, wonder, engage the imagination.
This child-like curiosity stands in stark contrast to the disciples in today’s Gospel, who seem far more interested in themselves than in Jesus.
The Lord has just predicted his own Passion, death, and resurrection in the most literal language imaginable, which comes as shocking news to the disciples.
I imagine the Lord felt quite vulnerable, desiring to share more of his heart and destiny with his followers turned friends.
But they’re stone-cold silent, ignoring the pink elephant in the room, hoping this idea of a “cross” might magically disappear.
For now, the disciples are stuck in the web of power, politics, self-interest, and the physical world, evidenced by their next conversation.
When they do begin speaking again amongst themselves, they revert to what is familiar and desirable – the idea of greatness.
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Don’t we all avoid things at times – people, places, crucial conversations – hoping they’ll just go away? We can also avoid uncomfortable ideas about our faith, such as bearing our own cross and following Jesus.
You might say, there are certain plateaus that we reach in our faith journey, when we stall; cease being curious; stop growing; or even lay down our cross of discipleship.
Perhaps one of the common, early plateaus can come after receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation. It’s easy to conclude that we’ve learned enough about our faith, as if we’ve graduated from it.
Often, teens wear gowns during the ceremony, emphasizing their religious “accomplishment.”
In fact, two-thirds of teens in New Jersey stop attending Mass regularly after being confirmed…
Here at St. Pius X, we are working on developing a ministry of ongoing formation for adults so that our faith matures with us. As our minds, hearts, and life-experience expand, so should our child-like curiosity and commitment to Christ.
For, unless we “become like children,” Jesus says, “we cannot enter the kingdom of God.”
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There’s one other aspect of being a child that Jesus embraces.
Just as children are at the mercy of those who are older, stronger, and bigger than they are, so at the cross, Jesus becomes like a child again.
He is literally obedient to his Father; vulnerable; weak; putting himself physically at the mercy of those who seek to overpower him.
This scandalous nature of Calvary – the idea of God taking on flesh, bearing a cross, dying upon it, and rising again – requires the innocence of a child to believe in our heart of hearts, shaping our lives accordingly.
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Do I have that curious, childlike faith, which engages the imagination, asks questions, and seeks to understand?
Can I gaze upon Christ crucified, see the innocence of a child, and follow his example?
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Such ideas may be too profound for children to understand, like that four-year-old holding a half-eaten cupcake.
But she embodies qualities that every one of us as adults should strive to preserve within ourselves – innocence, curiosity, trust, and a willingness to believe.
For, “unless we become like children, we cannot enter the kingdom of God.”
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Image credits: (1) Living Theologically (2) Bored Panda (3) Aleteia
