Homily for the Memorial of St. Thomas Aquinas

In today's Gospel passage, Jesus teaches that obeying God connects us as a family with Him. He defines a true disciple not by rank, talents, or wealth but by their faithfulness to God's will in daily life. Jesus encourages us to treat everything we do as if we are part of a big family, seeing our neighbors as brothers, sisters, mothers, or fathers.

This story shows that Jesus values the bonds within His spiritual family more than traditional family ties. When His mother and relatives want to see Him, we might expect Him to stop everything for them. However, there are times when we should be with our biological families and times when we should share our love with others. Jesus shows both of these moments.

In this story, He focuses more on His extended family. Later, in the Gospel of John, while He is dying on the Cross, He makes sure His mother will be taken care of. This final concern for His mother also relates to His connection with the whole Church. In these Gospel stories, Mary represents the Church at the heart of a praying community.

Children can teach adults a lot about what it means to be part of the Church. Children often love being with their close family and can easily connect with new people. These children show what Jesus means when He looks around at those with Him and says, "Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother."