Matthew 12:46-50

Micah 7:14-15, 18-20

Psalm 85:2-4, 5-6, 7-8

Matthew 12:46-50

While Jesus was speaking to the crowds,

his mother and his brothers appeared outside,

wishing to speak with him.

Someone told him, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside,

asking to speak with you.”

But he said in reply to the one who told him,

“Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?”

And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said,

“Here are my mother and my brothers.

For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father

is my brother, and sister, and mother.”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, I want to do your holy will. I pray that your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Help me to overcome any obstacles or any attachments to sin so that I may truly live as your obedient child today.

Encountering the Word of God

1. The Family of Jesus: The Gospel passage brings the narrative section of Book Three of Matthew’s Gospel (Chapters 11 and 12) to a close. In these two chapters, Jesus confronts an evil generation. The evil generation is seen in the unrepentant cities of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum. It is also seen in the Pharisees who, instead of rejoicing at the work of Jesus, accuse him of violating the Sabbath. They go so far as to accuse Jesus of working on behalf of the devil. Faced with this evil generation, Jesus wants to teach us who belongs to the Kingdom and Family of God. In the New Kingdom, which he has inaugurated and will teach about in parables, the children of God are not those who are born naturally into it, but those who receive Jesus, who believe, and who act as God’s children by doing his will (see Cavins and Christmyer, Matthew: The King and His Kingdom, 216). We know that we become a member of God’s family and kingdom through the Sacrament of Baptism.

2. The Will of Jesus’ Father in Heaven: Jesus has given us the supreme example of obedience unto death, even death on a cross. He is not asking us to do something he himself has not done. “Obedience to God the Father creates relationships greater than natural family bonds. Although Jesus had no biological siblings, his spiritual brothers and sisters are the adopted children of God (Romans 8:29; 1 John 3:1). They are empowered to obey the Father as he did” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament, 30). Obeying and fulfilling the will of God is beyond our natural strength. But with God’s grace all things are possible. Assisted by the gift of divine grace, the infused virtues of faith, hope, and charity, and the sevenfold gift of the Spirit, we can conform our lives to that of Christ and heed the Father’s will.

3. The Contention in Micah: The third part of Micah (Micah 6-7), we see the Lord present his dispute or contention (Hebrew rib) against his people. God calls on the mountains and hills to serve as a type of jury as he presents his case against Israel. On the one hand, the Lord has been blameless in his covenant conduct. On the other, the people have broken the moral law and been unfaithful to their God. When the people ask what terms the Lord will accept for reconciliation, the Lord responds that they need to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with their God. The wicked will not be acquitted or justified and the nation will be given over to their enemies. The contention ends with the passing of a sentence: Samaria, the capital of Israel, will be destroyed in 722 B.C. by the Assyrians; Jerusalem, the capital of Judah, will be destroyed in 586 B.C. by the Babylonians. Today’s reading from Micah contains a message of hope. For those who endure God’s punishment with patience, there will be vindication. Yes, the people will be disciplined for their sins by their enemies, but these same enemies, one day, will be vanquished. “Israel’s sins will be expurgated and the remnant renewed through exile, and God will again do ‘wonders’ on Israel’s behalf as in the days of the exodus (7:15). The prophet concludes by praising God in hope of forgiveness and vindication” (Prothro, A Pauline Theology of Justification, 52). The sins of God’s people, who violated the covenant God made with the people through Moses, will be forgiven on the basis of the covenant God made with Abraham (Micah 7:18-20).

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, I thank you for saving me from sin and death. I thank you also for the gift of new life that you have given me in Baptism and continue to give me each day. 

Living the Word of God: Am I like a rebellious child or a docile child in relation to God the Father? Where am I stubborn? Where do I hold on to my own will instead of embracing the Father’s will?