Who are my mother and my brothers?
And his mother and his brothers came, and standing outside they sent to him and called him. And a crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers are outside, seeking you.” And he answered them “Who are my mother and my brothers?” And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.” (3:31-35)
In this world, you will always have a tension between the visible and the invisible world. In this visible world, your biological family is where the strongest relationships are. Yet, in the spiritual world, in the kingdom of the Father you are invited to be a child of God and that is more important than any other relationship in this world.
I had to make this clear with my dear human mother and my adoptive father, Mary and Joseph. When I was twelve, I stayed at the house of the Father in Jerusalem, yet they did not understand. I did not want to harm them, yet I could not pretend that they were the only parents I had, my heavenly Father was more important than them (see Luke 2:41-52). This was of huge importance for me, and this is the same for you. I could not have developed any ministry without first recognizing that the heavenly Father is more important than my human family. Human parents are very important, they mold and shape you. It is very important for you to respect them because they are in many ways representing God the Father, the creator, as you grow up. Yet, as you mature, you are invited to realize that God’s fatherhood is more important than your human parents. You should respect them and take care of them, but not let them rule your life. The identity you have in their eyes is imperfect, and you need to find in the eyes of the heavenly Father your perfect and heavenly identity as a child of God.
My response to my mother and brothers looked harsh, but it was necessary. People needed to know that being a child of God implies that when human authorities challenge God, you have to choose God. Peter said rightly that it is better to obey God than to obey man (see Acts 5:29). You learn to know God through human authorities, through the church. Yet, for God, the purpose of these human families and even of the Church, is to birth children of God who learn to listen to Him more than any other and to learn from Him to love their neighbor. Obedience, doing the will of the Father, is first and foremost a response of love to his gracious care. He is the most wonderful Father that the world will ever see. He takes care of his children in a way that amazes me. The devil tries to tarnish God’s fatherhood in order to catch people in his nets of bitterness, yet to do so he has only the tool of deception and to encourage disobedience, not listening to the voice of the Father.
This distinction between the physical bonds to human families and communities and the spiritual bond to the heavenly Father is extremely important. It is the Father who will lead you in perfect joy and peace, the world cannot do that. As you learn to listen to my voice and to the voice of the Father, your identity as a child of God becomes stronger, and you are more able to bring the fruits of love that flow from this identity. By spending time in prayer every day, to listen to us, by welcoming always more fully the Holy Spirit in you during your days, our love enables you to not only walk in peace and holiness, but also to perform the works of the Father, healing people in their bodies, souls and spirits. You then discover the authority that the Father gives to his children over this creation, authority to forgive sins in His name, to cast out demons, to heal bodies and hearts.
I showed the way, I listened to the Father and did His will all my life, thus releasing his mighty love through all I said and all I did. Do you want to follow my path, do you really want to be my disciple? Then learn with me, learn from me, how to welcome fully the loving will of the Father, to be a shining temple of the Holy Spirit. The Bible will give you key elements for entering into this living relationship with us. Learn to speak and listen to me, and to follow me as your shepherd. Even if you go through the valley of the shadow of death, you will not fear any evil, because I will guide you and protect you. The Father and I are one. As you follow me you follow the Father. You will then be fully part of the family of the Father, I will be your older brother, and our perfect love with transform you and bless all those you meet.
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