Matthew’s words, “whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me” are actually softer than the same passage in Luke: “… if anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children… .” It helps to remember the audience Matthew is writing for. After the Romans destroyed the city of Jerusalem with its great temple in 70 C.E., the Jews began moving out into villages in the Near East. The rabbis recentered Jewish religious practice in local synagogues instead of the temple. They began expelling from the synagogues the Jews who believed in Jesus. One hypothesis of Scripture scholars is that the Gospel of Matthew was written around 80 C.E., perhaps in Antioch. So Matthew’s “Christians” are Jews who are having to separate from their Jewish relatives because of their belief in Jesus. Imagine the strife that caused. Jesus had taught that it was not his mother or brothers who were his family, but whoever believed in him. What does all this mean for us? It challenges us to really make Jesus the center of our families, and not privatize our faith, so that we and others know that we really do believe in Him. It challenges us not to make “family first” something exclusive. Families need to remain open to others, so that they can welcome the stranger, meet needs of non-family members, and become part of something larger. Families need to nurture concern for the common good, and see themselves as members of the world family. Only if we can get beyond the limitations of natural groups, like families or even nations, can we link with others to address the complex issues of our times.
— Blog entry by Sister Mary Garascia
The post June 28, 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Family: a Sunday Scriptures blog first appeared on Sisters of the Precious Blood.