What is family?

Most people hope that their family will be a place of belonging and growth.

The reality is that our biological families exist only for a time. I am the child of my parents for a couple of decades then they age and die and I might then become the parent of my own children who will mature and leave home, form their own new primary family,, perhaps in  a distant land.

Where is my belonging place then?

Jesus addresses this directly when speaking about family in today’s gospel.

While we do have parents and perhaps sisters and brothers and children, life in relationship with Jesus moves us into a new dimension of family where we feel an even deeper and lasting sense of belonging. This family of faith, and the friendships that Jesus gives to us in faith, form new and essential bonds for the person who seeks to grow into more abundant living.

“The mother of Jesus and his brothers came to him
but were unable to join him because of the crowd.
He was told, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside
and they wish to see you.”
He said to them in reply, “My mother and my brothers 
are those who hear the word of God and act on it.”   Luke 8:19-21

Take a moment to hear Fr. Alex address this powerfully in his homily from last Sunday.