THE FAMILY OF GOD IS CENTERED ON GOD'S WILL - 1/24/23 (Memorial of Saint Francis de Sales, Bishop and Doctor of the Church)

Mark 3:34–35

“Here are my mother and my brothers.  For whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”  

For the full readings, click here: 

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/012323.cfm

Blessed Memorial of St. Francis of Sales! As we read in the gospel reading, Mary and the brothers of our Lord came to Jesus. Before we reflect on the gospel, it's important for us to remember that the greek word for "brother" is "adelphoi", and this word is more flexible than in the English language. This word can refer to other family members, and not merely biological siblings, such as cousins. The "brothers" who came to Jesus were not His biological siblings because He was the only Son of Mary. For more information on this, there is an article below this reflection that explains the perpetual virginity of Mary. Going back to the passage, when the crowd told Jesus about His family, our Lord made an interesting statement for us to ponder upon. He says that those who follow the will of God are His brother, sister and mother. God invites all of us to be part of His family, but we can only accept His invitation if we always say "yes" to what God desires for our lives which is only for our own good. What are some of the practical ways of doing the will of God? 

As we looked at the life of Christ, He was dedicated of doing one thing, and that was obedience to His Father. He was obedient even unto the cross because this was the will of God for our salvation from sins. This is why Jesus is always reminding us that if we truly desire to be part of God's family, we should reject the temptations of sins and seek to obey God, His commandments and His teachings. Even when we are tempted by the evil spirits to fall to temptations of lust and other sins, we should be firm in our intention of loving God. At the same time, we should accept willingly all of the challenges and sufferings in our lives. Jesus encountered numerous oppositions from many people, and He accepted the sufferings in His life, especially the cross, because of His love for the Father and for us. We should look up to Him in being gentle amidst all the struggles and in bearing the faults of our neighbors with patience out of love for Christ and for other people. This is what we can also see in the life of St. Francis of Sales, who is also known as the "Gentle Doctor of the Church." Even though he struggled with anger before, he persevered and overcome this obstacle by emphasizing the importance of humility and gentleness. For those who are interested to do a spiritual reading and reflection of his work, "Introduction to the Devout Life", there is a link below this reflection for it. All of us are called to holiness, not just the priests and those in religious life, because God invites all of us to be part of His family. We cannot do the will of God unless we receive God's mercy and gift of salvation in the sacraments and in our prayers. No matter how much we fall, Jesus is always asking us to be part of His life. Let's leave our sinful lifestyle and trust in His mercy by aligning our whole selves to the will of God. 

Amen +

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, be with us always until the hour of our death. Amen. +

May the Lord + bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life. Amen. +  

Reflection by: Dominic

St. Francis of Sales, Memorial:

https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/january-24-saint-francis-de-sales-bishop-and-doctor/

Introduction to the Devout Life:

https://www.ecatholic2000.com/desales/idl.shtml

How to Explain the Perpetual Virginity of Mary:

https://www.catholic.com/magazine/print-edition/how-to-explain-the-perpetual-virginity-of-mary

Examination of Conscience and Guide to Sacrament of Confession:

https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/examination-of-conscience/

Ultimate Catholic Parents Guide:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=Ls6IcexZAls

Summary and Defense of Catholic Teachings:

https://www.catholic.com/tract/pillar-of-fire-pillar-of-truth