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Dear Parishioners,
The Gospel depicts an eventful day for Jesus, to say the least. His relatives are out to seize him; the scribes are calling him Satan; and on top of it all, he cannot even eat because the crowds are so large.
No doubt, the disunity Jesus felt in this moment pained him. Imagine having the leaders of your faith community and your own family out to get you. If God is a relationship of love, as the Scriptures consistently tell us, then disunity is the antithesis of God. Perhaps this helps us understand the meaning of the Gospel’s reference to blasphem[ing] against the Holy Spirit, the only sin that Jesus says cannot be forgiven. Jesus tells the crowd that if a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. Disunity tears us away from ourselves, from others, and from God. We blaspheme the Holy Spirit, who is God’s uniting force, when we cultivate division or independence over unity and interconnectedness.
In today’s first reading from Genesis, Adam eats the apple in disobedience, and the immediate result is separation. For the first time, the Lord and Adam are detached, and thus the Lord calls out to Adam, Where are you? Adam replies that he hid himself in the garden out of fear. He does not trust God’s mercy and love for him, the bedrock of unity, and instead blames his sin on the woman.
This foundational story of our faith tradition reminds us that we were created for unity. It is in our DNA, so to speak; unity is the very essence of who we are, what we were made for, and to which we ultimately will return. In today’s Gospel, when Jesus replies Who are my mother and my brothers? his intention is not to slight his family, but to widen the circle of connection. He reveals that everyone around him are his mother and his brothers – a revolutionary shift from bloodline to generational relationships.
Jesus came to teach us that the circle of God’s love encompasses everyone, making all of us family. Our job is to widen the circle until no one is left standing outside of it.
Is there anyone in our life from whom we are divided? Are there groups of people with whom we would rather not associate? Is there sin in our heart that disconnects us from God? Amid such disunity, the Lord calls out, Where are you? He says, “Come, be united to me, be united to those around you, your real brothers and sisters.” This unifying work is the gift of the Holy Spirit, and the end goal for each of us.
As we come forward to the table with outstretched hands, we recognize that the Eucharist is the “sacrament of unity.” May our hearts and bodies long for this transcendent unity, with God and with one another.
Blessings,
Fr. Tad
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