Mike, sitting in his living room, heard a loud crashing noise, followed by the tinkling of glass coming from the kitchen area. When he went to investigate, he realized a golf ball from a nearby course had come through his kitchen window. Looking out the window, he saw a young golfer heading toward his house to apologize for the accident. As the teenager approached, Mike, an accomplished golfer himself, thought of three options: 1) have the golfer pay for fixing the window; 2) forgive him since he seemed repentant, and take care of the repairs himself; 3) offer to work with the young man for several months to help him improve his swing so he wouldn’t slice the ball again.
Translate this story into our relationship with God. Our wild “swing” sends a ball through God’s kitchen window. In other words, we sin. God considers the same three options that Mike thought about. He can have us pay for our sin by doing penance; he can forgive us and let it go; he can take time to work with us so we can make changes in our “swing.”
Which option do you think God prefers? Today’s gospel passage helps us answer this question (Matthew 12:46-50).
“While Jesus was speaking to the crowds, his mother and his brothers appeared outside, wishing to speak with him. Someone told him, ‘Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, asking to speak with you.”
If you had to write the ending to this story, what would you say? Something like, “Excuse me folks. Let’s take a five-minute break because I’ve just been told that my mother and brothers are outside wanting to talk with me. Maybe it’s a family emergency. Be back shortly.”
How would this sit with the crowd? Would they be offended? Of course not. In fact, they would admire Jesus for putting his family ahead of his work.
Instead, Jesus gave an upsetting answer.
“Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers.”
What? His disciples were on an equal plane with his mother and brothers? How could that be?
Back to the Mike story. Jesus wanted more for his disciples than helping them make amends for their past life and forgiving their sins. Jesus wanted, by grace, to transform them to his level. They would be elevated beyond the discipleship role to that of intimate family members with the heavenly Father. No rabbi would dare make this claim– that disciples become as intimate family members. Jesus went beyond forgiving sins to helping transform his disciples to a level that only Mary and his siblings enjoyed.
When he stretched out his hands toward the disciples, he was anointing them with God’s blessing—a blessing that had so much power that it transformed these lowly disciples into sons and daughters of God.
Would that Jesus stretch out his hands over us right now. Would that we qualify as disciples chosen apart from the crowd. How can we do this? Quit sinning for a year? Go to Mass daily? Spiritual heroics? Jesus answers this question too.
“For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother and sister and mother.”
It makes us uncomfortable to think that God’s goal for each of is holiness—to be “holy as our heavenly Father is holy.” It is more comfortable to be ordinary, run-of-the-mill people, who never stir the waters and never incur persecution from the enemies of Jesus.
