Daily Reflections - January 29,2013

SPEAKING OF ORIGINS

 

The Gospel for today speaks of the “controversy” concerning Jesus and His relatives. When informed that His relatives were outside waiting for Him, Jesus responded in a way that seemed like He was disowning His relatives: “Who are my mother and my brothers?...These are my mother and my brothers. Whoever does the will of God is brother and sister and mother to me.” Obviously, His townmates recognized Jesus’ relatives and His origin.

But where did the Messiah really come from? What and where is His origin?

People in the Bible are often named after their places of origin. Simon of Cyrene, Mary of Magdala, Simon of Arimathea. Jesus, too, for a time was designated by the place of His origin, thus, Jesus of Nazareth. But you will notice that later on in His life and ministry that Jesus will come to be known as the Christ, from the Greek Christos, meaning the Anointed, the Messiah, the One sent by the Father. Jesus came to be known not only by His physical origin but, more so, by His spiritual and divine lineage.

We, too, have a spiritual lineage. That is why, even though we have different names, we all share a common name: Christian. We are to be known not only by our physical places of origin and consanguinity. We are to be known by our truthfulness to our spiritual lineage, by our observance of the will of God as revealed by Jesus, our Brother. Fr. Joel Jason

 

REFLECTION QUESTIONS: How have you lived up to your name as a Christian? Have you given a good accounting of your spiritual lineage?

 

Lord, teach me to judge my life and the life of others as You do, so that we may be worthy of the love and salvation that You have for us.