9 June, 2024 | 10th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Gn 3:9-15, 2 Cor 4:13—5:1
Gospel Mk 3:20-35
Jesus came home with his disciples.
Again the crowd gathered,
making it impossible for them even to eat.
When his relatives heard of this they set out to seize him,
for they said, "He is out of his mind."
The scribes who had come from Jerusalem said,
"He is possessed by Beelzebul,"
and "By the prince of demons he drives out demons."
Summoning them, he began to speak to them in parables,
"How can Satan drive out Satan?
If a kingdom is divided against itself,
that kingdom cannot stand.
And if a house is divided against itself,
that house will not be able to stand.
And if Satan has risen up against himself
and is divided, he cannot stand;
that is the end of him.
But no one can enter a strong man's house to plunder his property
unless he first ties up the strong man.
Then he can plunder the house.
Amen, I say to you,
all sins and all blasphemies that people utter will be
forgiven them.
But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit
will never have forgiveness,
but is guilty of an everlasting sin."
For they had said, "He has an unclean spirit."
His mother and his brothers arrived.
Standing outside they sent word to him and called him.
A crowd seated around him told him,
"Your mother and your brothers and your sisters
are outside asking for you."
But he said to them in reply,
"Who are my mother and my brothers?"
And looking around at those seated in the circle he said,
"Here are my mother and my brothers.
For whoever does the will of God
is my brother and sister and mother."
Reflections:
When they called Jesus as one with an unclean spirit, he was offended and furious. He knew his role as Son of God and Son of Man very well. He was totally aware of his ancestry, of his conception by the Holy Spirit and so he was hurting that they were blaspheming against his heavenly father.
When some people in the crowd reminded him of his mother and brothers asking for him, he once again switched to the spiritual relationship through The Word. Anyone who does God’s will, as in his heavenly father’s will, will naturally become his relative and this is what he emphasised to those gathered. His spiritual family had mothers and brothers through their obedience to The Word.
Clearly, there were those who could not understand such a spiritual relationship. He however, was truly appreciative of his mother, Mary, who conceived him, the Eternal ‘Word made flesh’ and gave him to the world through her obedience.
Activity:
Recount those times that you may have knowingly or unknowingly grieved the Holy Spirit and offer reparation for the same through dedicated prayer and acts.
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