Tuesday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time
Today’s Gospel reading is very short, just three verses, but there is a lot packed into it. In the passage, Jesus’ relatives, including his mother, come to see him while he is preaching. Someone tells Jesus they are there to see him, and he replies that those “who hear the word of God and act on it” (Luke 8:21) are his family. Without diving into what that moment meant for his relatives, this line clearly teaches us something profound about discipleship.
Hearing the word of God and acting on it implies that discipleship demands both actions. It serves as a powerful examination of conscience. We can ask ourselves: When did we truly “hear” God throughout the day, and did we act on what He communicated to us? For example, looking at Scripture, when Jesus said to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us (Mt 5:44; Lk 6:27), do we do that? When he said to welcome the stranger (Mt 25:35-40), do we show hospitality to those we don’t know? When he said to take up our cross (Mt 16:24; Mk 8:34; Lk 9:23), do we endure our suffering with grace or with bitterness? In many ways, Jesus guides our lives through Scripture. How do we hear the word of God and act on it?
One person who perfectly heard the word of God and acted on it was Mary, Jesus’ mother. At the Annunciation, she heard God through an angel and said "yes" to conceiving and giving birth to Jesus and becoming his mother. At the Presentation of Jesus, she heard the word of God through Simeon, who foretold that a sword would pierce her soul, a prophecy she endured as she stood by her Son at Calvary. In many ways, Mary is our ultimate teacher in discipleship.
As we go about our day, let us ask for the grace to imitate Mary's active, trusting faith. True discipleship is not a status we inherit, but a daily choice we make every time we choose to listen to God and put it into practice. May we have the courage to let our faith move from our ears to our hands, transforming our everyday encounters into living proof of God’s love.
—Sr. Emily Sandoval, FMI