are outside asking for you.” He replied, “Who are my mother and my brothers?”
And looking around at those who sat there, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers.
Whoever does the will of God is brother and sister and mother to me.”
Reflect
Baptism makes us part of the family of God, brothers and sister of Jesus Christ and of each
other. The grace of baptism helps us to pattern our lives after Jesus, following the path he laid
out for us. The hallmark of Jesus’ earthly ministry is that he conformed his will to the will of his
Father in heaven.
As his brothers and sisters, we need to conform our will to the will of the Father as well. But how
can we know the Father’s will for us? The Spirit brings us the gift of discernment. We listen in the
depths of our hearts for the still small voice of God. We purge from our hearts the sin and
selfishness that can cloud our ability to listen. All discernment happens in the context of prayer and
reflection. We might seek the help of a trusted spiritual advisor who can help us to cut through the
noise and distraction. Then, once we have discerned God’s will, we beg for God’s grace to have the
strength and the courage to pursue it.
© Copyright Bible Diary 2023