Posted by The WORD in other words (2019) by Father Joey Ruega SVD – Catholic Trade Manila
Tuesday 16th Week in Ordinary Time
Filipinos are known to be family-oriented, with close-knit structures where respect for parents and elders is indispensable. The Jewish people were also deeply family-oriented; for them, family extended to the whole clan. In that patriarchal society, respect for elders was paramount, enshrined in the fifth commandment: “Honor your father and your mother” (Exodus 20:12).
So when Jesus asked in today’s Gospel, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” (Matthew 12:48), it might sound disrespectful. Yet Jesus was not rejecting His earthly family. He was seizing the moment to teach a deeper lesson about God’s family.
Jesus laid down the condition for belonging to God’s family: “Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother” (Matthew 12:50).
Thus, membership in God’s family is not measured by bloodline, but by faith and obedience. It is discipleship—living according to God’s standards, following Christ who is “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6).
This beautiful teaching remains relevant today. It calls us to be one family in Christ, especially in a world still marked by racial, cultural, religious, political, and ideological divisions. In God’s family, we are mothers, brothers, and sisters to one another—caring, supporting, and loving as Christ commanded: “Love one another as I have loved you” (John 13:34).
As a faith community, we are called to be a counter-society where love, compassion, mercy, and charity are lived out—standing against the individualism, hatred, and discrimination that dominate the world.
Let us therefore ask ourselves: Am I ready to be part of God’s family, willing to say “Yes” to the invitation of Jesus Christ our Lord?
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