From: Luke 8:19-21
The True Kinsmen of Jesus
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Commentary:
19-21. These words of our Lord show us that fulfillment of the Will of God is
more important than kinship and that, therefore, our Lady is more united to her
Son by virtue of her perfect fulfillment of what God asked of her, than by the Holy
Spirit’s using her to make Christ’s body (cf. notes on Matthew 12:48-50 and Mark
3:31-35).
[Notes on Matthew 12:48-50 states:
48-50. Jesus obviously loved His Mother and St. Joseph. He uses this episode to
teach us that in His Kingdom human ties do not take precedence. In Luke 8:19
the same teaching is to be found. Jesus regards the person who does the will of
His Heavenly Father as a member of His own family. Therefore, even though it
means going against natural family feelings, a person should do just that when
needs be in order to perform the mission the Father has entrusted to him (cf. Luke
2:49).
We can say that Jesus loved Mary more because of the bonds between them
created by grace than because He was her son by natural generation: Mary’s
divine motherhood is the source of all our Lady’s other prerogatives; but this very
motherhood is, in its turn, the first and greatest of the graces with which Mary
was endowed.]
[Notes on Mark 3:31-35 states:
31-35. In Aramaic, the language used by the Jews, the word “brethren” is a
broad term indicating kinship: nephews, first cousins, and relatives in general
are called `brethren’ (for further explanation cf. note on Mark 6:1-3). “Jesus did
not say this to disown His mother, but to show that she is worthy of honor not
only account of having given birth to Jesus, but also because she has all the
virtues” (Theoplylact, “Enarratio In Evangelium Marci, in loc.”).
Therefore, the Church reminds us that the Blessed Virgin “in the course of her
Son’s preaching received the words whereby, in extolling a kingdom beyond the
concerns and ties of flesh and blood, He declared blessed those who heard and
kept the word of God as she was faithfully doing” (Vatican II, “Lumen Gentium”,
58).
Our Lord, then, is also telling us that if we follow Him we will share His life
more intimately than if were a member of His family. St. Thomas explains this
by saying that Christ “had an eternal generation and a generation in time, and
gave preference to the former. Those who do the will of the Father reach Him
by Heavenly generation [...]. Everyone who does the will of the Father, that is
to say, who obeys Him, is a brother or sister of Christ, because he is like Him
who fulfilled the will of His Father. But he who not only obeys but converts
others, begets Christ in them, and thus becomes like the Mother of Christ”
(”Commentary on St. Matthew”, 12, 49-50.)
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Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.
|
First reading |
Ezra 6:7-8,12,14-20 © |
King Darius wrote to the satrap of Transeuphrates and his colleagues: ‘Leave the high commissioner of Judah and the elders of the Jews to work on this Temple of God; they are to rebuild this Temple of God on its ancient site. This, I decree, is how you must assist the elders of the Jews in the reconstruction of this Temple of God: the expenses of these people are to be paid, promptly and without fail, from the royal revenue – that is, from the tribute of Transeuphrates. May the God who causes his name to live there overthrow any king or people who dares to defy this and destroy the Temple of God in Jerusalem! I, Darius, have issued this decree. Let it be obeyed to the letter!’
The elders of the Jews prospered with their building, inspired by Haggai the prophet and Zechariah son of Iddo. They finished the building in accordance with the order of the God of Israel and the order of Cyrus and of Darius. This Temple was finished on the twenty-third day of the month of Adar; it was the sixth year of the reign of King Darius. The Israelites – the priests, the Levites and the remainder of the exiles – joyfully dedicated this Temple of God; for the dedication of this Temple of God they offered one hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs and, as a sacrifice for sin for the whole of Israel, twelve he-goats, corresponding to the number of the tribes of Israel. Then they installed the priests according to their orders in the service of the Temple of God in Jerusalem, as is written in the Book of Moses.
The exiles celebrated the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month. The Levites, as one man, had purified themselves; all were pure, so they sacrificed the passover for all the exiles, for their brothers the priests and for themselves.
|
Psalm |
Psalm 121:1-5 © |
I rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’
I rejoiced when I heard them say:
‘Let us go to God’s house.’
And now our feet are standing
within your gates, O Jerusalem.
I rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’
Jerusalem is built as a city
strongly compact.
It is there that the tribes go up,
the tribes of the Lord.
I rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’
For Israel’s law it is,
there to praise the Lord’s name.
There were set the thrones of judgement
of the house of David.
I rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’
|
Gospel Acclamation |
cf.Ps129:5 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
My soul is waiting for the Lord,
I count on his word.
Alleluia!
|
Or |
Lk11:28 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Happy are those
who hear the word of God
and keep it.
Alleluia!
|
Gospel |
Luke 8:19-21 © |
The mother and the brothers of Jesus came looking for him, but they could not get to him because of the crowd. He was told, ‘Your mother and brothers are standing outside and want to see you’ But he said in answer, ‘My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and put it into practice.’