“But he said in reply to the one who told him, ‘Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?’ And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, and sister, and mother.’ ”
Jesus leaves no doubt that whoever does the will of God is his brother and sister and mother. He includes everybody in this so much so that to follow him sometimes means showing brotherly or sisterly love or maternal care. In the first reading from the book of Micah, God is the only one who models such compassion for us:
Who is there like you, the God who removes guilt
and pardons sin for the remnant of his inheritance;
Who does not persist in anger forever,
but delights rather in clemency,
And will again have compassion on us,
treading underfoot our guilt?
God, as one of the remnant of your inheritance, a follower of Jesus, I want to understand that it is your will to forgive others and show mercy and that it pleases you when I do the same. Thank you for the gift of your Son in naming me as one of his brothers by doing your will.
Jesus, my Lord and my God, your Father sent you to take on human form—true God and true man—to show in word and deed how to be your brother. If I am to be a brother to you, let me know through the Holy Spirit what your will is and how to do it.
If I am to be a brother and sister and mother today, let me have the tender care of others as a way made clearly visible. God, you respect my free will, so let me choose in each decision of the day what is good and merciful and pleasing to you.