10th Sunday in Ordinary Time
My dear parishioners,
God is Good!!! All the time!!! And all the time!!! God is Good!!!
For the first time in this book things are not as God commanded. God told Adam not to eat from the tree of knowledge in the midst of the garden. This prohibition was to protect Adam and Eve from some of the hurtful consequences of eating from that tree, death being one of them. But the man and the woman ignore God’s protective word and listen to the word of another who is not at all concerned with their welfare.
Today’s Gospel focuses on experiences of rejection that Jesus encountered from his own family members as well as from the scribes, the religious teachers of the law. All of this is in sharp contrast to the extraordinary popularity Jesus and his disciples have experienced from the local crowds. They are so inundated with crowds that they are scarcely able to eat. Nevertheless, all is not well.
Rejected by family. The first shocker is that in the midst of all this almost wild popularity Jesus’ own relatives come and attempt to take him away because they think he is out of his mind. No details are given. Perhaps they think his teaching or healing activity will somehow get him into trouble, especially because he does this on the Sabbath. Perhaps they think it will bring shame to the family name. What makes this rejection so critical is that these are the people that Jesus should be able to count on for support even if they do not understand him.
Rejection by the scribes. The scribes are quick to follow up on the family rejection of Jesus. They accuse Jesus of being possessed by Beelzebul. They do not dispute that Jesus can indeed drive out demons, but they claim he is using the power of Satan, not the power of God. In a series of short aphorisms Jesus responds by claiming that any entity divided against itself cannot stand. Jesus interprets his exorcisms as the binding of Satan (tying up the strong man). Jesus then makes reference to blaspheming against the Holy Spirit as being a sin that can never be forgiven. It is unforgivable because it rejects the very source of forgiveness itself.
Jesus redefines family. The final segment of today’s Gospel presents us with another shocker. Jesus has been told that his mother and brothers and sisters are outside asking for him. Honor dictates that you would recognize the presence of your family even if you were busy. Not only does Jesus not recognize his family, he redefines the very understanding of family. Family, according to Jesus, extends to anyone who does the will of God. It is not limited to blood ties. This would be incomprehensible to a Jewish person, but it points to a deeper reality. Even Jesus’ blood family does not know his true identity. He is the Son of God.
Excerpts from “Sunday Homily Helps”, is used by permission of Franciscan Media. www.FranciscanMedia.org. All rights reserved
Sincerely in Christ,
Fr. Aloysius