We are Gods Family

Mt. 13: 54-58

From todays gospel we can see two things

about God.

First is about what God wants from us.

And what he wants is our faith.

St. Matthew told us that Jesus did not perform

mighty deeds there because of their lack of
faith (v.58)

Faith is to believe in God, to trust him, and to

rely only on him.

Faith is to accept what God says and does to us.

It is faith not to question his ways or to doubt

his will and not to go against his divine plan.

God wants to put our faith in him.

And with faith in God he will surely perform

mighty deeds for us.

There will be healing.

There will be miracles.

This is possible only if we have strong faith in

him.

Remember what Jesus told his disciples in the

gospel of St. Luke: If you have faith the size of
a mustard seed, you would say to [this]
mulberry tree, Be uprooted and planted in
the sea, and it would obey you (17:6).

Second is about how God sees us.

Many who heard Jesus questioned his family

background.

They doubted his teachings.

They asked, where did this man get such

wisdom and mighty deeds? (v. 54)

Now God will never question our social or family

background.

God will never dwell on our past.

He will always believe in us.

He will continue to trust our goodness, our

competence, and our commitment.

Those who heard Jesus showed the hidden

attitude of man towards his fellowman.

It is always an attitude of discrimination.

There is the attitude of indiferrence and

misconception.

Those who questioned the capacity and family

background of Jesus were not convinced of his
good works.

They were lacking in faith.

Now let us remember that God will never be

biased against us.

God will never be prejudiced against us.

God will always accept and welcome us

whoever we are and whatever we have done.

All of us are in the fatherhood of God and in the

brotherhood of Jesus.

This also explains the biblical words, Is he not

the carpenters son? Is not his mother named
Mary and his brothers James, Joseph, Simon,
and Judas? Are not his sisters all with us? (vv.
55-56).

During the time of Jesus the official languages

were Hebrew and Aramaic.

There was no special Hebrew or Aramaic word

for cousin.

The word cousin in Greek, which was the official

languange of the Bible, was translated and
substituted the word with brothers and sisters.

Therefore in Aramaic tradition the word brother

or sister would mean a relative a relative of
Jesus.

And so in the present English vocabulary

brother and sister of Jesus means cousins of
Jesus.

Also, Jesus in the metaphor is telling us that if

our aim and goal in this life is to make the will
of God our will, the plan of God our plan, and
the ways of God our ways, then we are
brothers and sisters to him.

Thus, our being brothers and sisters of Jesus

begins if we act and speak like Jesus, if we
love and live like Jesus.

And that is how God sees us.

He sees and takes us as his children.

So we are truly Gods family.

Let us now ask ourselves: Do we accept

everybody as our brothers and sisters in
Christ?

Do we see them as children of God?