Who belongs to the family of Jesus?
Many people would answer that question by saying:
Those who are baptised.
Those who come to church.
Those who believe in Him.
Those are all important.
But today Jesus gives a deeper answer.
“Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”
Notice what He does not say.
He does not reject His Mother.
Far from it.
No one fulfilled the Father’s will more perfectly than the Blessed Virgin Mary.
She is His Mother precisely because she first said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”
Mary is not less important in this Gospel.
She is the perfect example of what Jesus is teaching.
The closest relationship to Christ is not simply one of blood.
It is one of obedience.
That is a challenge for all of us.
Many people call themselves Christians.
Many people say they believe in God.
Many people even come to Mass.
But Jesus asks a more searching question.
Are we doing the will of the Father?
Because Christianity is not simply about belonging.
It is about becoming.
Becoming more like Christ.
Allowing His will to shape our lives.
The first reading tells us why we can trust Him.
Micah asks:
“Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression?”
What a wonderful question.
Every religion has ideas about God.
But what makes the God of Israel different?
Micah tells us.
He delights in mercy.
He does not delight in condemning.
He delights in forgiving.
He does not remain angry forever.
He delights in steadfast love.
Then comes one of the most beautiful images in the whole Old Testament.
“You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.”
Imagine standing on the shore and throwing a stone into the deepest ocean.
It disappears.
You never see it again.
That is God’s desire.
Not to keep reminding us of our sins.
But to forgive them.
To remove them.
To restore us.
That is why Christ came.
But mercy is never an excuse to remain the same.
God forgives us so that we may become holy.
He welcomes us into His family so that we may begin to live as members of that family.
Children resemble their parents.
Christians should begin to resemble Christ.
That is exactly what we see in St Lawrence of Brindisi.
He was one of the most learned men of his age.
He mastered languages.
Latin.
Greek.
Hebrew.
Syriac.
French.
German.
He knew the Scriptures so well that he could preach not only to Catholics, but also to Protestants and to Jews in their own languages.
Yet his learning never became an excuse for pride.
He studied so that he could preach Christ more faithfully.
He learned so that he could lead others to salvation.
Knowledge, for Lawrence, was always at the service of love.
That is an important lesson today.
We live in an age of endless information.
Facts are available instantly.
Artificial intelligence can answer almost any question.
Yet wisdom remains rare.
Because wisdom is not simply knowing things.
Wisdom is knowing Christ.
And allowing His truth to shape our lives.
St Lawrence understood that.
He preached with conviction because he first listened.
He taught others because he had first sat at the feet of the Master.
He defended the faith because he had first fallen in love with the truth.
He even accompanied Christian armies armed not with a sword, but with a crucifix, reminding them that Christ is our true strength and our only hope.
Perhaps that is the lesson for us today.
Jesus is not asking whether we know everything.
He is asking whether we are willing to do the Father’s will.
That may mean forgiving someone.
Being honest when it is costly.
Remaining faithful when it is difficult.
Praying when we are busy.
Coming to Mass when other things compete for our attention.
Living as members of Christ’s family every day, not just for one hour on Sunday.
The wonderful news is that we do not do this alone.
The God who calls us is the God Micah describes.
The God who delights in mercy.
The God who casts our sins into the depths of the sea.
The God who welcomes sinners back into His family.
So today let us ask for two graces.
The obedience of Our Lady, who perfectly did the Father’s will.
And the zeal of St Lawrence of Brindisi, who used every gift God gave him to make Christ known.
Then we too shall hear those beautiful words of Jesus:
“Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”
St. Mary's, St. John Bosco and St. Edward's 