Daily Gospel Reflection for September 20, 2022

Join us as we reflect, ponder, and pray together inspired by today's Gospel.

Today's Gospel: Luke 8:19-21

In today’s Gospel, I see an invitation from the Lord to enter into His family. He corrects the crowd who tells Him that His mother and brothers are standing outside, wishing to see Him. His mother and brothers (and while I can’t translate from the original text, I feel pretty good about including “sisters” here, too) are these, but not only these: they are all those who “hear the word of God and act on it.”

To be a member of Christ’s family is not a matter of biology or lineage. It doesn’t require a degree of prestige or recognition in some social circle. Rather, our Lord teaches that to be a member of His family is a matter of hearing and acting—responses that are available to us all.

It strikes me that while “mother” and “brother” (and again, in this context “brother” presumably encompasses “sister” as well) are mentioned in this passage, “father” is not. Perhaps this is because Christ wants to draw the attention of those willing to hear to the fact that He, His mother, and His brothers are all children of the one Father. And we are all, together, called to act on the Father’s word through the inspiration and guidance of the Holy Spirit.

So, to be in Christ’s family is to hear the word of the Father and to act on it in union with the Holy Spirit.

We are called to emulate the love and relationship of the Blessed Trinity in our families, not only for our own benefit, but also for those we encounter through our families. May we joyfully listen to the Father’s word. May we spend time with Christ in prayer. And may we act in all matters, big and small, with the Holy Spirit leading us.

Ponder:

How have I accepted or rejected God’s invitation into His family?

Pray:

Blessed Trinity, three Persons in one God, help draw me into closer relationship with You and to invite others to do the same.

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To be in Christ’s family is to hear the word of the Father and to act on it in union with the Holy Spirit. #dailygospel

Copyright 2022 Lindsay Schlegel