Homily for Tuesday of the 25th Week in Ordinary Time

Responding to reports that family members were looking for Him, Jesus declared that His real family "are those who hear the Word of God and act on it." Jesus wants to relate to us as His family. He calls us His brothers and sisters and wants us to belong to His spiritual family. The way to become His family is relatively straightforward: we need to hear the Word of God and put it into practice in our everyday lives.

Jesus was intensely focused on God's Word and His will throughout His life and ministry. His understanding of and adherence to this Word were so complete that it influenced everything He said and did. John's Gospel even identifies Jesus as the Word made flesh.

As Christians, we are called to hear God's Word and act on it in everything we say and do. The transformative power of God's Word inspires us to become more like Jesus. If we listen to God's Word and let it shape us and our lives, then we are brothers and sisters to Jesus, our Lord.