Ông bà chúng ta có nói "Máu còn đặc hơn nước lã". Trong bài Tin Mừng này, Chúa đã không nói về những mối liên hệ ruột thịt gia đình, bạn bè, hàng xóm và đồng nghiệp của chúng ta, nhưng thay vào đó Ngài đã nhấn mạnh tới mối quan hệ của chúng ta với Ngài và tất cả những người đã thật sự tin vào Chúa và sống trong ơn Nghĩa của Ngài. Chúa Giêsu định nghĩa lại ý nghĩa sự liên hệ của chúng ta không phải chỉ là trong vấn đề xác thịt và máu mủ con người, mà sự liên hệ này bao gồm tất cả nhữ ai nghe, sống và thực hành theo ý của Thiên Chúa, "Đó là những người mà chúng ta thấy và gặp trong mỗi Thánh Lễ, những người sống và làm những việc lành phúc đức và những người theo chân Chúa, đó là những người thật sự là anh em, là chị em của chúng ta.
Ngưòi Việt chúng ta nói chung là thường có một sự liên kết chặt chẽ với gia đình và họ hàng của họ từ đời ông, đến đời bố, đời con cho đến đời cháu… Điều này được thực hiện một cách rất công khai trong các dịp lễ giỗ ông bà, tổ tiên hay trong dịp Tết… Đại gia đình gắn bó với nhau trong tình thân thương, và che chỡ và giúp đỡ cho nhau. Nhưng hôm nay, Chúa kêu gọi chúng ta hãy mở ra vòng tay của chúng ta rộng lớn hơn để chào đón các mối liên hệ mới trong cuộc sống của chúng ta với những người có cùng một niềm tin Công giáo với chúng ta, và đặc biệt nhất, để làm mới mối quan hệ của chúng ta với Thiên Chúa.
Thiên Chúa đang thách thức chúng ta hãy trở nên là một người tốt, Chúng ta phải luôn có niềm hy vọng. Chúng ta cũng đừng quên rằng Thiên Chúa có khả năng biến đổi chúng ta để trở nên giống như Ngài, để biết yêu thương nhiều hơn cũng như biết rộng lượng với anh chị em đồng nghiệp của chúng ta.
Ngài cũng mời gọi Chúng ta tiếp tục tìm kiếm sự hướng dẫn của Chúa Giêsu trong việc tăng cường các mối liên hệ đặc biệt mà tất cả đều được bắt nguồn từ lời khen ngợi và phượng thờ Thiên Chúa, là Cha hằng yêu thương của chúng ta.
Tuesday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time
In this gospel, Jesus does not talk about the relationships that we have with our family, friends, but instead, He means to emphasize the relationships that are born through people congregating together to praise Him; those who become one and believe in Him. Jesus redefines the meaning of relationships. It is not just in the matter of flesh and blood, but anyone who "…does God's will…". Those people whom we see at Mass, and those who do good and follow the footsteps of Jesus, these are the people whom we should truly call our brothers and sisters.
Many of us in general have a strong bond with their families. This is overtly practiced by having family reunions, celebrating holidays and birthdays together. There is no problem with this relationship, but Jesus calls us to open up our minds, to welcome new relationships in our life with those who have the same Catholic beliefs, and most especially, to renew our relationship with him. Jesus shares a true and perfect relationship with us. Where in the world can we find someone who is as compassionate, understanding, loving and forgiving as God is? He challenges us to be the best that we can be and helps us to see through the darkness. There is always hope. Let us not forget that Jesus our Lord is capable of transforming us to become like him, to be more loving and generous to our fellow brothers and sisters. He invites us to do this together as a community, as a real family. May we continue to seek his guidance in strengthening these special relationships all rooted in our praise and worship of a loving Father.
Tuesday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time 2026
The mother of Jesus and his brothers arrived at the house. Standing outside, they sent word to Jesus and called him. A crowd seated around him told him, “Your mother and your brothers and your sisters are outside asking for you.” Mark 3:31–32
In Jesus’ time, family bloodlines were of great importance. They determined one’s identity as part of the chosen people of Israel, the descendants of Abraham. Being part of God’s covenantal family was understood primarily in terms of physical ancestry. Bloodlines also played a crucial role in determining rights to land ownership, which was tied to one’s family lineage. This connection between lineage and land had important theological significance, as the Promised Land was a visible sign of God’s covenant with Israel.
The lineage of two of the Twelve Tribes of Israel held particular significance. Members of the Tribe of Levi were uniquely chosen to serve as priests in the Temple. Additionally, the Messiah was prophesied to descend from the Tribe of Judah, specifically from the line of King David. This gave David’s lineage an elevated status. This significance is reflected in Matthew’s and Luke’s genealogies, which establishes Jesus’ legal and spiritual claim as the promised Messiah.
It is for these reasons that Jesus’ words in today’s Gospel surprised many. When Jesus’ mother and his brothers—meaning His cousins or other extended family—arrived at the house where He was teaching, they wanted to see Him. First, it should be noted that in Jewish culture, there was no specific word for “cousins” or “extended family,” so the terms “brothers” and “sisters” were used more broadly. Naturally, those present might have expected Him to go out immediately to see them in deference to His familial ties. Yet He takes that opportunity to offer a new teaching when He asks the crowd, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” Answering His own question, He pointed to those around Him, saying, “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother” (Mark 3:34–35).
Jesus was in no way diminishing the value of His blood relatives. In fact, the bond He shared with His mother went far deeper than DNA. Instead, He used the opportunity to expand the people’s natural familial bonds to include all those who were united spiritually. He taught that kinship in God’s family is not based on physical descent but on obedience to His will. This redefinition transformed their understanding of what it means to belong to God’s people, opening the door to new bonds of unity based in faith and grace.
Today, families remain the most important foundation of life. “The family is, so to speak, the domestic church” (Lumen Gentium, 11). The family is chosen by God as the primary community from which love, virtue, and faith are born, making them a community of love, participating in the unity of the Trinity. However, natural family bonds are now expanded by the supernatural bonds we share through the Blood of Christ, which unites all of us more deeply. Ideally, those supernatural bonds are first experienced within natural families, but even when they are not, the supernatural bonds we share through Christ’s Blood create a spiritual family that transcends earthly relationships. As Christians, we are called to extend this familial love beyond our households, embracing all who do the will of God as brothers and sisters in faith.
Reflect today on the blessings and challenges you have within your own family. What is of paramount importance is that, within those natural bonds, we strive to move deeper, forging spiritual bonds that are eternal. Reflect also on your wider Christian community. Do you strive to build bonds of faith and charity with others? As you ponder Jesus’ words today, look at your natural family and beyond, giving thanks for those who do the will of God, and work to foster deep relationships grounded in the new Bloodline of Christ’s grace.
Most Holy Trinity, You are the source of perfect harmony and unity, sharing a love that is beyond all understanding. Draw me, and all people, into that unity of love. Bless my natural family on earth and unite us ever more deeply through Your grace. Bless also my spiritual family, my brothers and sisters in faith, united by the bonds we share in fulfilling Your holy will. Jesus, I trust in You.
Tuesday of the 3rd Week in Ordinary Time 2026
Opening Prayer: Lord God, I seek to do your will always. Your will is my food. Your will is holy and will bring me to everlasting happiness and beatitude. Help me to discern your will each day in prayer so that I may act as your faithful child.
Encountering the Word of God
1. The New Family of God: In the Gospel, Jesus establishes the new family of God. No longer is membership in the people of God dictated by physical or genealogical descent from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Becoming a member of God’s new family is accomplished through faith and baptism. In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus “is establishing a new family, the family of God, whose members are united around Jesus in a bond of love, familiarity, and loyalty far stronger than any blood relationships (see John 1:12; Romans 8:29; Ephesians 2:19; Hebrews 2:10-11). In doing so, he is not rejecting his earthly family; rather, he is establishing a new basis for their claim on him. That his brothers did eventually accept this new basis for kinship with Jesus is shown by the active presence in the early Church (Acts 1:14; 1 Corinthians 9:5; Galatians 1:19)” (Healy, The Gospel of Mark, 80). In fact, both James and Simon, who were cousins of Jesus, were the first two bishops of Jerusalem (see Pitre, Jesus and the Jewish Roots of Mary, 124-126).
2. Life in Family: Much of our lives are lived in family. For better or for worse, we are shaped by our childhood spent in a family. And then we begin our own families. Hopefully, we don’t repeat the mistakes our parents made raising us, and hopefully, we strive to live out and imitate all the good we learned from them and from our brothers and sisters! But Jesus invites us to elevate our thinking about our family. When we attend mass or meet fellow Christians, we are encountering our spiritual family. Baptized Christians in the world currently number around 2.4 billion. All of them are our brothers and sisters in Christ. All of them have received the forgiveness of sins through baptism and are called to spread the Gospel and live according to the New Law of charity. The next time we are at mass, we can look around and see not strangers, but the brothers and sisters of Christ – my brothers and sisters who are all called to do the will of the Father.
3. The Will of God: When we hear the phrase, “will of God,” we have to approach this with a great deal of humility, as we are dealing with a very deep mystery. We shouldn’t think of God’s will as an arbitrary imposition or as a command of a master given to a servant. The word “will” in Hebrew (ratzon) means something like “goodwill,” “delight,” “acceptance,” “pleasure,” or “favor.” In Biblical Greek, the word “thelema” is used to refer to God’s sovereign and gracious plan for creation and human beings. God’s will, then, is a loving and gracious will that wills to bring the human beings he has created to share in his divine life. That is why Jesus teaches that we become part of God’s family – we become his brothers and sisters – and share in his life by doing his Father’s holy and divine will. Instead of sinning and working against God’s plan and rejecting God’s love and mercy, the one who accomplishes God’s will is the one who attentively listens to the Word of God, meditates on it in prayer, and puts it into practice. There is a healthy and creative discernment that goes into doing “God’s will.” To do God’s will, we need to bring all that we are into prayerful conversation with God. We need the help of good and holy spiritual guides, as well as the example and teaching of the Church’s saints who have gone before us.
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, I thank you for bringing me into your divine family. Help me to be an obedient child of the Father. Direct my thoughts to think as you do. Pour out your Spirit into my heart and help me cry, “Abba, Father.”
Tuesday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time
“Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.” Mark 3:34–35
Jesus said many things that caused people to pause and think. Today’s Gospel passage is one of those times. Just prior to the passage quoted above, Jesus was told that His mother and brothers were outside looking for Him. After hearing this, instead of going to greet them, He asked those around Him, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” Then He looked around and answered His own question with the above quoted Scripture.
What may have caused some people to pause and think at that time, and even now when this passage is read, is that Jesus’ comments can easily be misunderstood. Some will conclude that He was distancing Himself from His own family and that He was even disowning them to a certain extent. But nothing could be further from the truth.
First of all, we know that Jesus had a perfect love for His dear mother Mary and that she loved Jesus with a perfect reciprocal love. As for His “brothers,” it was common to refer to one’s extended family (such as cousins) as brothers and sisters. Therefore, these brothers who were coming to see Jesus were relatives to one degree or another. And though our Blessed Mother, the mother of Jesus, was perfect in every way, Jesus’ extended family was not. Recall that some of them thought Jesus was out of his mind and tried to prevent His public ministry.
But back to our question: Was Jesus disowning His family members in some way? Certainly not. Instead, He was establishing a deeper context for His new family in grace. Though biological bonds are a gift and must be respected and cherished, the spiritual bonds established by our joint conformity to the will of God is of much greater importance. Jesus simply pointed to this fact, elevating the spiritual family bond over the purely natural. Of course, it’s also important to point out that Jesus’ mother was first and foremost His mother, not only because she gave physical birth to Jesus, but primarily because she was in perfect conformity to the will of God with Him and, thus, the most intimate member of His family by grace. And the same can be true for all of us. When we conform our wills to the will of God, we become Jesus’ “mother” in the sense that He enters our world through us. And we become His “brothers and sisters” in that we become intimate members of His eternal family and enjoy a profound and spiritual union with Him.
Reflect, today, upon the fact that you are called to be so much more than just a physical brother or sister of Christ Jesus. You are called to the most intimate and transforming familial union imaginable. And this union is more fully accomplished when you seek to fulfill the will of God with your whole heart, mind, soul and strength.
My dear Lord, I desire deeply to become more fully a member of Your most intimate family in grace. Help me to always dedicate myself to the complete fulfillment of the will of our Father in Heaven. And as I conform my will more fully with that of the Father’s, draw me deeper and deeper into union with You. Jesus, I trust in You.
Tuesday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time 2025
Opening Prayer: Lord God, I seek to do your will always. Your will is my food. Your will is holy and will bring me to everlasting happiness and beatitude. Help me to discern your will each day in prayer so that I may act as your faithful child.
Encountering the Word of God
1. The New Family of God: In the Gospel, Jesus establishes the new family of God. No longer is membership to the people of God dictated by physical descent from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Becoming a member of God’s new family is accomplished through faith and baptism. In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus “is establishing a new family, the family of God, whose members are united around Jesus in a bond of love, familiarity, and loyalty far stronger than any blood relationships (see John 1:12; Romans 8:29; Ephesians 2:19; Hebrews 2:10-11). In doing so, he is not rejecting his earthly family; rather, he is establishing a new basis for their claim on him. That his brothers did eventually accept this new basis for kinship with Jesus is shown by the active presence in the early Church (Acts 1:14; 1 Corinthians 9:5; Galatians 1:19)” (Healy, The Gospel of Mark, 80). In fact, both James and Simon, who were cousins of Jesus, were the first two bishops of Jerusalem (see Pitre, Jesus and the Jewish Roots of Mary, 124-126).
2. I Come to do Your Will: The Letter to the Hebrews contemplates the new priesthood of Jesus. The Law of Moses established the Levitical priesthood, but this was only a shadow of the good things to come. Each year the high priest would offer a bull and goat in sacrifice on the Day of Atonement. But these sacrifices were only a “remembrance of sins,” and did not effectively cleanse the people from their sins. Jesus’ sacrifice is different. It is an effective and obedient offering. Jesus assumed our human nature and was lovingly and freely obedient to the Father’s will. In this way, God took away the ineffectively sacrificial system of the Law of Moses to establish the salvation of the human race through the one all-sufficient sacrifice of Jesus Christ (see Healy, Hebrews, 199). Jesus’ sacrifice transforms our human nature from within; “it heals the self-will, pride, rebellion, and unbelief that have deeply wounded human nature ever since the fall” (Healy, Hebrews, 199).
3. Aquinas on Grace: Thomas Aquinas, whose memorial we celebrate today, has been called the “Angelic Doctor” and the “Common Doctor” of the Church. Through his writings and teachings, he influenced all of Christian doctrine and theology. One of his most important teachings was on divine grace. Meditating on Paul’s writings, Aquinas understood that the gift of grace, given to us in Baptism, makes us sharers in the divine nature. Grace regenerates us as children of God, makes us new creations in Christ, and makes the three Persons of the Triune God dwell in us. The Son of God, through grace, instills divine wisdom in us and enables us to contemplate and judge all things from a divine perspective. The Spirit of God, through grace, instills divine charity in us and enables us to love God and our brothers and sisters in a divine way. Empowered by divine grace and the infused virtues, we can merit eternal life through works of justice, love, charity, and mercy.
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, I thank you for bringing me into your divine family. Help me to be an obedient child of the Father. Direct my thoughts to think as you do. Pour out your Spirit into my heart and help me cry, Abba, Father.
Suy Niệm bài đọc thứ Ba Tuần Ba Thưòng Niên (Mark 3:31-35 )
Cha mẹ làm việc rất khổ cực kiếm tiền và để dành tiền của chuẩn bị cuộc sống mai sau cho con cái của họ. Họ hy vọng vhúng ₫ có thể có được một cuộc sống tốt đẹp. Tuy nhiên, đôi khi bố mẹ cũng tự hỏi tại sao con cái của họ dường như không nghĩ đến những sự hy sinh của họ đã dành cho chúng. Có lẽ bởi vì cha mẹ quá bận rộn, họ đã không dành đủ thời gian để gần gũi với con cái của họ. Thời gian mà bố mẹ dành để dạy dỗ, vui chơi với con cái rất là qúy giá vì đó chính là tình yêu và đó mới là những gì quan trọng mà con cái rất cần nơi bố mẹ, đi làm có tiền nhiều, con cái hư hỏng thì tiền đó có đem lại hạnh phúc cho gia đình?. .
Tương tự như vậy, trong mối quan hệ của chúng ta với Thiên Chúa, Chúng ta đã dành bao nhiêu thời gian của chúng ta cho Thiên Chúa? Chúng ta đi dự lễ ngày Chúa Nhật và nghe lời Chúa qua những bài đọc và bài giảng : chúng ta có dành thời gian suy niệm về những gì chúng ta đã nghe? Thánh lễ là lời cầu nguyện của Giáo Hội: Chúng ta có tham gia trực tiếp với Thánh Lễ với những phần thưa đáp trong phụng vụ, có cùng với cộng đồng hát những bài hát ca đoàn hát trong thánh lễ? Do chúng ta có cầu nguyện trong Thánh Lễ với các cộng đồng Kitô hữu, và thực sự, với toàn thể Giáo Hội?
Chúng ta có tìm hiểu thêm về kiến thức và sự thân mật với Thiên Chúa?
Trong bài đọc Tin Mừng Chúa Giêsu nói với chúng ta, "Những ai mà làm theo ý muốn của Thiên Chúa là anh chị ta và là mẹ ta." Là con cái của Thiên Chúa Cha trên trời, chúng ta phải có nhiệm vụ là làm theo ý muốn của Chúa Cha, như chúng ta cầu nguyện trong Kinh Lạy Cha mỗi ngày, "Ý Cha thể hiện dưới đất cũng như trên trời."
REFLECTION
Parents work very hard to give and prepare their children for a good life. Yet they sometimes wonder why their children do not seem to fully appreciate their sacrifices for them. Maybe because the parents are so busy, they have not spent enough quality time with their children. Quality time spent with the ones we love is important precisely because we love them.
Similarly, in our relationship with God, how much quality time do we spend with God? We go to Sunday Mass and listen to the readings and the homilies: have we spent time reflecting on what we have heard? The Mass is the prayer of the Church: do we participate as much as we can in the responses and the singing? Do we pray the Mass with the Christian community and, indeed, with the whole Church?
Do I seek knowledge of and intimacy with God?
In the Gospel reading Jesus tells us, "Whoever does the will of God is brother and sister and mother to me." As children of our heavenly Father, our task is to do the Father's will, as we pray always in the Lord's Prayer,
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