June 10, 2018: Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Reading: Mark 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.”

Reflection:

Jesus saw the suffering of those who came to him again and again. For Jesus, these folks were not just a nameless, faceless crowd but the children of God; God’s family, where each one belongs, no exceptions.

So he took the risk to cross the boundaries and challenge the system that created these boundaries — which may have seemed like a really crazy thing to do. But Jesus wasn’t out of his mind.
He was living out of the heart of God and teaching each of us what is required in doing the will of God. For Jesus, all people need to live in the present with dignity and all that it implies.
How did the hearts of the scribes become so hardened that they called the work of the Spirit evil?
How can we be merciful to others when we fail to see our own need of mercy?

Action:

This week reach out to a friend, co-worker, neighbor or family member that needs a helping hand or perhaps just needs the presence of someone who cares enough to sit a spell and listen to their heart.