...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."... (Mk 3:31-35).
God is good, all the time.
Friends, in today's dramatic Gospel scene, Jesus pairs his kin, Mary, Joseph, and other relations with his spiritual family of God. In those declarative words, "Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother," he was establishing the new "covenanted" relationship of Christians to be sealed with his blood.
Jesus echoes the belief that Christianity is a religion of tradition- it is handed down to us; in the process, we never forget all those who contribute to our faith. Heb 13:7 reminds us, “Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.”
Saint Paul’s praise of Timothy's spiritual ancestors, grandmother Lois and Mother Eunice, who were faithful to their Christian faith and passed it on in the succeeding generations is an explicit demonstration of the above. How true this is for most of us. Whether we are cradle Catholics or not, we can trace our faith to some people in our lives. We should gratefully remember such people, but also realize that it is our turn to do all we can to pass the faith on to those in our lives, families, and non-families alike.
The way to pass the faith on to others is to follow the pattern Jesus set for us; have an expanded heart that embraces people, both close family and all others. The teaching is expressive of big-heartedness—a natural disposition of being kind and generous with others. So, being a Christian means to be a person with a big heart, expanding one's heart to love so many people in the world.
The greatest thing that invites people is an open heart that loves and embraces people. When people show us love, compassion, and kindness, we never cease reflecting and recalling such faces. We become magnetized to their attitudes, and they impact our lives forever. You want to be a better Christian? Then be willing to always redefine your family membership to include each person you meet every moment. Have a big heart.