Tuesday Of the Twenty-Fifth Week in Ordinary Time
True Kinship in Christ
Alternative Celebration: Learn more here.
Other Celebrations for this Day:
Liturgical Cycle: C | Lectionary Cycle: I
Introduction
In the first reading (Ezra 6:7-8, 12b, 14-20), we hear of the rebuilding of the Temple and the joyful celebration of God’s presence among His people. After the enthusiastic return of the Jews from exile, they soon fell apart into factions: almost all looked after their own interests first. Because they were not a real community, they could not rebuild their modest temple, for to do so, there had to be a community of faith. Finally, with prophets exhorting them, they could muster that degree of unity to finish the temple and to celebrate the Passover feast. Where we are a community, God is present, even without a temple or church.
In the Gospel (Lk 8:19-21), Jesus teaches that true kinship with Him is found in hearing the Word of God and putting it into practice. After his parables on the sower of the word and of the lamp, Luke, using the incident of Mary and Jesus’ relatives seeking him out in the crowd, sums up by saying that Jesus’ new family is made up of those who hear the word of God and live accordingly. Accepting the gospel transcends family ties. This is no direct rebuke to Mary, as we know that she received and responded to the word of God and pondered it in her heart. Like her, do we put it into practice?
Opening Prayer
God of the covenant,
you are present where there are people
who believe in you
and who gather in your name.
Gather us together from our dispersion
of selfishness and overconcern
about our petty interests,
that we may be your people
and the living temple of your presence
in the midst of all people.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
First Reading
Error: Book or format not recognized for passage: Ezra 6:7-8, 12b, 14-20
Responsorial Psalm
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
I rejoiced because they said to me,
"We will go up to the house of the LORD."
And now we have set foot
within your gates, O Jerusalem.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Jerusalem, built as a city
with compact unity.
To it the tribes go up,
the tribes of the LORD.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
According to the decree for Israel,
to give thanks to the name of the LORD.
In it are set up judgment seats,
seats for the house of David.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Alleluia Verse
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are those who hear the word of God
and observe it.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
The mother of Jesus and relatives came to him, but they couldn’t reach him because of the crowd.
Someone told him:
“Your mother and your brothers are standing outside and want to see you.”
Then Jesus answered:
“My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.”
Prayers of the Faithful
– For the community of the Church, that our leaders may inspire us by their faith and that we may bring our joy and peace to a world in dire need of hope and love, we pray:
– For the communities of our families, that parents may inspire their children with a living, contagious faith and that the young may be eager seekers of truth, justice and Christian hope, we pray:
– For the community of our parish, that we learn to cooperate and that we may be concerned about the poor and the sick among us, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
God our Father,
with bread and wine we celebrate
your everlasting covenant with your people.
Let this feast not merely be
a remembrance of the past,
but a sharing today in the death to sin
and in the resurrection to new life
of your Son Jesus Christ.
Let it also express our firm hope
in the future of a new Church and a new world,
in which we are fully your people
and you our God for ever.
Prayer after Communion
Lord our God,
through the bread of strength
and the wine of joy and hope
of Jesus your Son,
let us be the living stones
with which you build up among people
the community in which you live.
And let our firm foundation be
the cornerstone you have given us,
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Blessing
How much we could do if our communities were united! The reality of one heart and one soul is a tremendous force. May God give you this grace and bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
REFLECTIONS
Mothering the Word
Jesus’ words in today’s gospel – would they have offended Mary who was waiting outside to meet him? Hardly! Those words of Jesus were great compliment to her, actually. For, among human beings, who has listened to the word of God and surrendered to it better than Mary? Who else has so treasured the word of God in heart that it became flesh, other than Mary? The words of Jesus were an affirmation of Mary as truly his mother in flesh and spirit, as well as an invitation for us to imitate her in listening to the word and doing it. It is such listening and doing that makes us members of his family, across space and time – as is evidenced in the martyrdom of Andrew Kim Taegon, Paul Chong Hasang, and companions whose memory we honor today: So far away from the historical Jesus’ space and time, they became members of his family.
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24 September 2024
Belonging to the family of Jesus
Today's Gospel conveys a practical truth: The most profound relationships of life are not merely a blood relationship; instead, it is when people have common aims, common principles, shared interests, and a common goal - that they become really and truly a family. That is why Jesus looked around those who were keenly listening to him and declared, "These are my mother, brothers and sisters, who hear the Word of God and do it."
This passage carries us back to another story from chapter 2 of the Gospel of Luke, where Jesus went missing for three days in the temple of Jerusalem. Thestory highlights Jesus' respect for Mary and Joseph while also emphasising the importance of prioritising his Father's concerns. It serves as a reminder that there are moments in our lives when we must prioritise God's will over our own human desires.
Jesus was gaining popularity in the midst of His Galilean ministry while staying in Capernaum, away from his hometown of Nazareth. The Gospels describe that Jesus’ family in Nazareth thought he was mad, so they went to “seize him” – The word in Greek is the same word used when Herod “arrested” John the Baptist, indicating their intention to take him forcibly. However, the Lord announces the establishment of his new family. It is a personal choice to decide whether one wants to be inside or outside of their household.
Pope Francis, in his homilies, frequently speaks about the need to embody the Joy of the Gospel, not just in words but through actions. Our belonging to the family of Jesus is not based on blood relations but on the commitment to follow God’s Word.
23 September 2025
True Kinship in Christ
(Memorial of St. Pio of Pietrelcina)
In today’s Gospel (Luke 8:19–21), Jesus reminds us that His true family are those who hear the Word of God and put it into practice. This must have been difficult for His relatives to hear, especially since the Gospels tell us that, at times, His own family misunderstood Him and even thought Him mad (cf. Mk 3:21). But Jesus points us to a deeper truth: the bonds of the Spirit are stronger than the bonds of blood.
The deepest relationships are not based on family name or heritage, but on shared faith, shared love, and shared obedience to God’s will. The Kingdom of God is precisely this: a community where men and women strive to align their lives with the Father’s will. That is why Jesus can say, with full authority, that His mother and brothers are those who do God’s will.
This is not a rejection of human family, but a radical widening of the heart. Jesus calls us to belong to a family as wide as the world, bound together not by blood but by grace. When we say, “Thy will be done,” and mean it, we step into that true kinship with Christ.
Padre Pio lived this mystery in a remarkable way. His life was marked by suffering, misunderstanding, and even suspicion from within the Church. Yet he never stopped doing God’s will. Through prayer, obedience, and the sacrificial offering of his life, he became a brother, father, and spiritual companion to countless souls. His wounds, united to Christ’s, were a sign of that radical belonging to the family of God.
Today, we are invited to walk the same path. Loyalty to Christ may sometimes demand letting go of other attachments, to things, places or people. But it also brings the great gift of communion with brothers and sisters across the world, and even across time. To do God’s will is to find our truest family in Christ.