Reflection given by Fr. Zvonimir Pavicic, OFM: 'Here are my mother and my brothers!' (Mt 12: 49)

date: 04.02.2023.

Fr. Zvonimir Pavičić, OFM, parish priest of Međugorje, recorded a reflection with the theme 'Here are my mother and my brothers!'  (Mt 12: 49)

This is the theme of all the seminars and spiritual retreats to be held this year in the parish of Medjugorje, so Fr. Zvonimir Pavičić announced this year's events in the parish of Medjugorje with this reflection. It is available on our YouTube channel, and below we transmit it in its entirety.

 

YOUTUBE: Fr. Zvonimir Pavičić - CATECHESIS - “Here are my mother and my brothers!” (Mt 12: 49)

 

Dear friends!

The theme of each International Spiritual Retreat taking place in this year is taken from Matthew's Gospel.  In order for us to better understand this sentence of Jesus, it is necessary to read the entire passage from the Gospel, so we will do that at the beginning.

From the Gospel according to Matthew:

„While he was still 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.“ (Mt 12, 46-50)

***

In this short passage that talks about Jesus' true relatives, Mary again provides us with an example of following Christ and doing God's will.  Although at first reading it could be understood that Mary, as the mother of Jesus, is in an unenviable position here, still while we are reading more and reflecting on God's word, it becomes evident that Mary is truly Jesus' true relative in the sense in which Jesus says it.

Namely, Mary could serve the Lord only as a woman who would give birth to Jesus.  He could only take her body from her, prepare the body for the birth of the Son, and thus Mary would serve as the one who cooperated with the Lord at a certain moment.  But God asks Mary for even more.  God is preparing her heart so that she will become His true mother and His true disciple.  God didn't just take Mary's body to give his Son a physical form, but He prepared Mary's heart, her soul, so that she could be a mother to us too.

Mary was thus immaculately conceived.  She was freed from the original sin.  But not only can she physically give birth to the Son of God, but her heart belongs completely to God.  She who is without sin, her heart belongs entirely to God.  We who are not sinless, we too feel such a longing for the Lord, and how much grace was in Mary!  That is why the angel greets her with the words: "Hail, full of grace!" Mary's heart is completely turned towards the Lord.  She is soaked in His grace, and she lives completely immersed in His being.  That is why she is so beautiful and charming.  That is why she is so sweet and gentle, because she is completely in the Lord.

As such, the picture is also for us, what we should be like and what we should strive for.  Even though we are sinful and weak people, we should always have her before our eyes.  She shows us the way – the path of faith.  She is our role model.  She goes before us to bring us all to her Son.

Although in this Gospel passage the mother and brothers of Jesus are not described as we would expect them to be, it should not be considered that they were excluded from Jesus' mission or that He rejected them from Himself. The evangelists do not bother to describe a situation to us in such a way that we would know all the details. They leave out a lot to focus on what's important.  It is important to convey Jesus' message of salvation to the readers.  And what does Jesus want to tell us with these words?

Jesus wants to tell us who His true relatives are. He wants to tell us that the bonds of spiritual kinship are greater than the bonds of physical kinship. Our connection with God should be above everything, even above family ties.  Jesus' brothers are mentioned here.  Namely, it is an expression used to denote a wider family relationship such as relatives.  However, the fact they are related to Jesus does not bring them any good unless they choose God in their lives. They are called to do God's will, to live according to God's word, according to God's commandments, although they are Jesus' relatives.  Jesus clearly points out that His true brothers are those who do the will of His Father.

Dear brothers and sisters, we should hold on to that.  Here, we call each other brothers and sisters. We became that by baptism. We are brothers and sisters in Christ. We are connected in Him if we try to live according to His word. We can freely say, if the fact that they are related by blood meant nothing to His relatives, the fact that we were baptized and that we call ourselves His - Christians - will not mean anything to us, if we do not commit ourselves to Him in our daily lives and decide to do God's will. That is our calling - doing God's will every day!

And how do we do that? Sometimes God's will seems so mysterious and hidden to us, it is difficult for us to uncover it and see it clearly.  Jesus did not leave us alone, so we would suffer in this world.  He stayed with us. He helps us. He stayed with us in His word - in the Holy Bible - He stayed with us in the sacraments, in the Church. That is why we are called to participate in the life of the Church. We are called to be Christians not only on paper, not only in words, but with heart and soul, longing for the Lord and His words with your whole being. By reflecting on God's word, we will more easily recognize God's will and we will receive from Him the strength to be able to carry it out.

Jesus gave us Mary as our mother and she is a real model of faith for us.  In this passage, Mary is not hurt by Jesus' words.  He was not rude to her.  Why?  This question was brilliantly answered by the ancient church fathers. They said that Mary first became a disciple of Jesus, and then became His mother.  How is that possible?  Namely, when the angel came to Mary and when he explained God's plan to her, she did not understand everything, but she agreed with God's will.  She said "yes" to God and thus became a true disciple of Jesus – she, who does God's will. That's how she continued to live her whole life.  And her presence in Jesus' passion, as well as her life with the first Church after Jesus' resurrection and ascension, testify to this.  Mary is a true disciple of Jesus and His true relative.

Jesus wants us, like Mary, to cling to His words, to God's will.  It may not always be so clear or easy for us, but it will certainly keep us closer to God.  Let's be like Mary.  Let's say "yes" to God, do His will, live according to His commandments and thus we will become His true relatives, brothers and sisters of Jesus.

Dear friends, in Medjugorje we are all in Mary's school.  Here, Mary teaches us in a special way how to become Jesus' true relatives, how to become close to Him, but also to everyone else.  Here we have the Eucharist, there are Adorations of the Blessed Sacrament, Veneration of the Cross, prayer of the Rosary, confession, fasting, the Holy Bible... There are also many international spiritual retreats and seminars of fasting, prayer and silence.  All of these are spiritual efforts that purify our reason, emotions and our perspective and gaze so that we can clearly recognize God's will and live according to His word.  Therefore, you should persevere in it just as we persist here each day in this calling – in prayer.  Join us and let's walk together on the path of salvation.

May the intercession of the Queen of Peace accompany you all!

Peace and good!