By Fr. Sheldon Tabile, O.Carm.

Day 9

July 15

Mary, the Sister of the Order of the brothers of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary of Mt. Carmel

Gospel Reading: “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” (Mt. 12:46-50)

While he was still speaking to the crowds, his mother and his brothers appeared outside, wishing to speak with him. Someone told him, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, asking to speak with you.” 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.”

Points for Reflection

1. We are intimately connected with Jesus if we do the Father’s will. Doing the Father’s will is to allow God to work in us. For us to be saved, we need to allow God to work in and through us.

2. Doing the Father’s will is obedience. Only those who are convinced that they are loved will obey. The prerequisite in doing God’s will is the surety that God loves us. For if we are assured that we are loved, we cannot but obey.

Fr. Sheldon is Assistant Parish Priest of San Isidro Labrador Parish in Bagong Silangan, Quezon City. He is currently a Fellow at the Titus Brandsma Institute in Radboud University in Nijmegen, the Netherlands.