3rd Week in Ordinary Time
1st Reading: Heb 10:1-10
Brothers and sisters: Since the law has only a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of them, it can never make perfect those who come to worship by the same sacrifices that they offer continually each year. Otherwise, would not the sacrifices have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, once cleansed, would no longer have had any consciousness of sins? But in those sacrifices there is only a yearly remembrance of sins, for it is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats take away sins. For this reason, when he came into the world, he said: Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; in burnt offerings and sin offerings you took no delight. Then I said, As is written of me in the scroll, Behold, I come to do your will, O God. First he says, Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings, you neither desired nor delighted in. These are offered according to the law. Then he says, Behold, I come to do your will. He takes away the first to establish the second. By this “will,” we have been consecrated through the offering of the Body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Gospel: Mk 3:31-35
The mother of Jesus and his brothers arrived at the house. Standing outside, they sent word to Jesus and called him. A crowd seated around him told him, “Your mother and your brothers and your sisters are outside asking for you.” But he said to them in reply, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” And looking around at those seated in the circle he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”
Who are my mother and my brothers? Many times, I have heard people say I wish I have a brother or a sister. Some others say, I wish I have/knew my father or mother. According to words of Jesus, “For whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.” In the Christian family, we find brothers, sisters, mothers and fathers. We are a family as long as we are doing God’s Will. How sweet and comforting to know and welcome Jesus as our brother! Jesus opens the door for everyone who wishes to belong to his family. The Christian family is an all-inclusive family. However, there is a condition to belong to this family – doing the will of God. What is the will of God? A brief answer will be – “abiding by the teachings of Jesus and not by false opinions or interpretations, no matter how popularly accepted they are.”
Prayer – We pray that Christians may recognize each other as members of one family. Amen
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TIME TO REINVENT YOURSELF: There once lived a Zen monk pious and virtuous. He was of impeccable character and seen as the divine personified for all his virtues. Despite this, the disciples in the commune were often shocked by a dark side in his personality. The police frequently caught him and jailed him for few days for little thefts such as match sticks and candles, little toffees and all. When advanced in age and on his deathbed his closest disciple asked him, “Master why did you steal small things and brought such a blot on your image?” With a smile he said, “My image! Forget it. That was the only way to get into jail and console and comfort the inmates”. For someone committed to God’s work, the family is often beyond the confines of blood relatives. “Whoever does the will of God is brother, sister and mother”. This is the passion for belonging to God’s family and for doing God’s work. Let us join Jesus and make this our slogan for life, “Being in God’s family and doing God’s will”.
DAILY GOSPEL 