DAILY GRACE
July 21, 2020, Tuesday of the Sixteenth Week of Ordinary Time
Scripture: Matthew 12:46-50
While he was still speaking to the crowds, his mother and his brothers were standing outside, wanting to speak to him. Someone told him, ‘Look, your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.’ But to the one who had told him this, Jesus replied, ‘Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?’ And pointing to his disciples, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.’
The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
Meditation
“. . .whoever does the will of my Father in heaven . . .”
Have you ever found yourself admiring other people for their strength, patience, noble character, or goodness of heart? “Wow, they are really put together; they are really blessed,” we might think. Admiration is appropriate when we observe the best in others, but looked at from another angle, admiration lets us off the hook. The others are admirable for what they have chosen to do or be. Admiration often implies the others are far above us, doing something we could never accomplish. We might think we live on another level, one that is mediocre and humdrum. So we can’t expect ourselves to be as great as the ones we admire.
Jesus calls us to something deeper. The one who said to Jesus, “Look, your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you,” may well have thought that Jesus’ family had an “in,” or “superior standing” with him. What Jesus said in reply probably shocked this person, for he essentially said that their familial proximity to him did not give them an edge over anyone else. He could just as well say to you and me, “You have the same possibility as they did to be with me. Open your heart, your life, your mind, your desires, your words, your actions to the Father, becoming an empty canvas upon which he draws. Without hesitation, say yes to your Father in heaven and all that he wills in your life.”
Prayer
Lord Jesus, what you say about doing the will of the Father sounds right and good, but I know it is not easy. I’m afraid of the unknown. I want to control my life. I like adventures but not those that put my career or dreams at risk. Still, that is what makes saying yes to the Father’s will so powerful. From this moment on, Lord, I say yes.
Contemplation
“Lord, I say yes.”