II. 'Who is My Mother?'

Preparation:
1. Praise of the Father.
2. Hail Mary.

Text: Matthew 12:46-50. 'Whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is brother and sister and mother to me.'

Setting: Just prior to this incident, Jesus has been healing people and casting out evil spirits. In other words, he has been acting in the power of God to break the destructive hold that evil, in the form of sin, sickness, discouragement, guilt and despair, has on people. But Jesus is also experiencing great opposition from his enemies. Jesus knows that God's will is that people come to life, that they be freed from the oppression of evil of every kind, that they walk upright with dignity as sons and daughters of their heavenly Father. The enemies of Jesus do not understand what God wants, so they oppose him when he carries out the father's will. At this point, Jesus' mother and other relatives come along, and Jesus uses the occasion to teach us about real kinship with himself.

Grace: Ask God for the grace to feel more deeply his great love for you, and the love of Mary, your mother in the Church; and if it be his will, that you may perceive his gracious choice to belong to the Marist ' family.

Reflection:
1. Jesus is told that his mother and brothers (cousins) wish to speak with him. He asks, 'Who, really, are my mother and my brothers?'

2. Jesus points to the simple people around him, the disciples, those who are listening excitedly to his every word. He says; 'These are my mother and my brothers.'

3. Jesus goes on to say something about who Mary is, and also something about his new family which will later become the Church:

Conversation: After reflecting on the above points, speak to Jesus and to Mary about your belonging to their new family which is the fellowship of the disciples, those who listen to Jesus' words, those who learn from him what the Father's will is, and do it.

Journal: Record your reflections, and anything you have learned or felt, in your journal or notebook. Do this for each meditation.

Marist Laity Conference April 2008 part2 [Click to search]

Marist Spirituality