The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite contemplation of the nature of our connectedness in the Body of Christ.
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| Living with family |
The reading from the Book of Ezra describes the decree of King Darius that provides support to lead to the Passover being celebrated again in the Temple in Jerusalem.
* [6:1–2] Babylon was the capital city of the satrapy to which Judah belonged; it was therefore the natural place to look. The decree was discovered eventually, however, in Ecbatana (Hamadan), the former capital of the Medes and summer residence of the Persian kings. Cf. the Hebrew version of the decree (1:2–4).1
Psalm 122 is a song of praise and prayer for Jerusalem.
* [Psalm 122] A song of Zion, sung by pilgrims obeying the law to visit Jerusalem three times on a journey. The singer anticipates joining the procession into the city (Ps 122:1–3). Jerusalem is a place of encounter, where the people praise God (Ps 122:4) and hear the divine justice mediated by the king (Ps 122:5). The very buildings bespeak God’s power (cf. Ps 48:13–15). May the grace of this place transform the people’s lives (Ps 122:6–9)!2
The events described in the Gospel of Luke highlight the nature of Jesus and His Family.
* [8:21] The family of Jesus is not constituted by physical relationship with him but by obedience to the word of God. In this, Luke agrees with the Marcan parallel (Mk 3:31–35), although by omitting Mk 3:33 and especially Mk 3:20–21 Luke has softened the Marcan picture of Jesus’ natural family. Probably he did this because Mary has already been presented in Lk 1:38 as the obedient handmaid of the Lord who fulfills the requirement for belonging to the eschatological family of Jesus; cf. also Lk 11:27–28.3
John Shea, S.J. comments that Jesus is not denying his kin. Rather He is expanding our notion of who belongs in the family of God: “those who hear the word of God and act upon it.”
This challenges all of us. Suddenly, family isn't just my immediate family or even my extended family. It includes all believers. Even if we don't enjoy a healthy relationship with our biological family, we know how we ought to behave towards a family member. Parents ought to provide unconditional love to their children. Siblings ought to love and support each other. I'm sure you, like me, fall short of this ideal with your families. So, we shouldn't be surprised when we fail to extend the same love and compassion to our brothers and sisters in the Lord. If we fail to love our children (the unborn and the born, including victims of child trafficking and those held in detention centers) then how can we love the poor, the immigrant and the refugee?4
Don Schwager quotes “Those who listen and obey God's word become true children of God,” by Cyril of Alexandria (376-444 AD).
"The present lesson teaches us that obedience and listening to God are the causes of every blessing. Some entered and spoke respectfully about Christ's holy mother and his brothers. He answered in these words, 'My mother and my brothers are they who hear the word of God and do it.' Now do not let any one imagine that Christ scorned the honor due to his mother or contemptuously disregarded the love owed to his brothers. He spoke the law by Moses and clearly said, 'Honor your father and your mother, that it may be well with you' (Deuteronomy 5:16). How, I ask, could he have rejected the love due to brothers, who even commanded us to love not merely our brothers but also those who are enemies to us? He says, 'Love your enemies' (Matthew 5:44).
"What does Christ want to teach? His object is to exalt highly his love toward those who are willing to bow the neck to his commands. I will explain the way he does this. The greatest honors and the most complete affection are what we all owe to our mothers and brothers. If he says that they who hear his word and do it are his mother and brothers, is it not plain to every one that he bestows on those who follow him a love thorough and worthy of their acceptance? He would make them readily embrace the desire of yielding themselves to his words and of submitting their mind to his yoke, by means of a complete obedience." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 42)5
The Word Among Us Meditation on Psalm 122:1-5 comments that the story of the ancient Jews is ours too. Sin has made us an exile from God’s presence, but now, through Christ, we have been brought near.
So do what the Jews did, and remember: God has fulfilled his promises to you. Your exile is over. God has made his home in your heart. He is present in your family. And even better, he is present when you go to the house of the Lord to join your brothers and sisters in Christ.6
Friar Jude Winkler describes the very long time it took to build the Temple in Jerusalem after the Babylonian Exile. The adoption of the Babylonian calendar is noted. Friar Jude comments on Luke’s depiction of Mary as the perfect disciple.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, quotes Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh and cites Sister Catherine Nerney, SSJ observing that we live in and through one another.
The whole thing is one, just at different stages, all of it loved corporately by God (and, one hopes, by us). Within this worldview, we are saved not by being privately perfect, but by being “part of the body,” humble links in the great chain of history. This view echoes the biblical concept of a covenant love that was granted to the Jewish people as a whole, and never just to one individual like Abraham, Sarah, Moses, Esther, or David. Similarly, the prophets and Jesus spoke both their judgments and their promises to the collective of the House of Jacob, Moab, Bashan, Gilgal, Capernaum, Bethsaida, Jerusalem (and on and on) much more than they ever did to individuals. Many Christians’ failure to recognize this has led to a major misinterpretation of the entire Bible.7
We belong to the Family of Jesus. We experience this connection to the Body of Christ when we relate as Jesus models with our brothers and sisters.
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