My dear friends, I would like to imagine a situation here, where we are busy either praying or talking to someone.

Meanwhile someone comes and informs saying: your parents and family members are waiting outside and would like to speak to you. I am sure we will not answer like Jesus does in the gospel today, instead we would run in haste to greet them the urgency might be greater if we are in the chapel, because we all belong to a family of relatives and friends. 1. A family is wonderful blessing that is to all of us which is a. A source of love and acceptance b. A stronghold of support and encouragement 2. However, through todays gospel Jesus reminds us of the existence of an extended family a spiritual family. Mk 10:28-30 1) and a benefit of leaving all to follow Him 2) Even if it meant leaving one's physical family It must have been a wonderful privilege to be part of Jesus' physical family, especially after they came to believe in Him. However, the question we are reflecting today is Who is my brother? Theo Westow, the author of who is my brother?, answers this question well, he says My brother is the embodiment of the human family. He is the bearer of my personal purpose in life. He is the object of my responsibility: more than that by sharing in the same communal purpose he shares in the same responsibility It is through him that God has given whatever talents and abilities I have inherited, whatever development I have been granted, whatever glorious ambitions and opportunities enrich my existence. I have to go down on my knees before him because in him I meet my redeemer. It is in front of him that I burn the candle of my life. What does the understanding brother as purpose in life, object of responsibility, bringer of gifts and finally a way to the redeemer mean to me today? I understand my brother as an invitation and a challenge. Invitation to embrace all beyond physical bonds and a challenge to meet the redeemer in and through my brother. Thus a responsibility towards my brother makes one to stand by and support him through the thick and thin of life situation. For Jesus my brothers and sisters are those who do the will of the Father in heaven. Jesus transposes a common question about earthly parents into a spiritual question about the kingdom of God. And He's teaching us here, among other things, that our ties as Christians, our ties as believers, are more important than the family ties. We have a saying that blood is thicker than water, and over and over in our culture and community, we find that to be a practical truth. But Jesus is saying here that those for whom He has shed blood have been brought into a family that is even closer than families of blood relatives. We pray for each other, that we grow in this understanding of belonging to a spiritual family. That we realize the importance of brother/ sister in our spiritual and physical family. Thus be courageous to mutually stand by our brothers and sisters in need by doing the will of our Father in heaven. Amen