20260721 FINDING A TRUE FAMILY WHERE WE CAN BELONG
21 July 2026, Tuesday, 16th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading |
Micah 7:14-15,18-20 |
Have pity on us one more time
With shepherd’s crook, O Lord, lead your people to pasture,
the flock that is your heritage,
living confined in a forest
with meadow land all around.
Let them pasture in Bashan and Gilead
as in the days of old.
As in the days when you came out of Egypt
grant us to see wonders.
What god can compare with you: taking fault away,
pardoning crime,
not cherishing anger for ever
but delighting in showing mercy?
Once more have pity on us,
tread down our faults,
to the bottom of the sea
throw all our sins.
Grant Jacob your faithfulness,
and Abraham your mercy,
as you swore to our fathers
from the days of long ago.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 84(85):2-8 |
Let us see, O Lord, your mercy.
O Lord, you once favoured your land
and revived the fortunes of Jacob,
you forgave the guilt of your people
and covered all their sins.
You averted all your rage,
you calmed the heat of your anger.
Let us see, O Lord, your mercy.
Revive us now, God, our helper!
Put an end to your grievance against us.
Will you be angry with us for ever,
will your anger never cease?
Let us see, O Lord, your mercy.
Will you not restore again our life
that your people may rejoice in you?
Let us see, O Lord, your mercy
and give us your saving help.
Let us see, O Lord, your mercy.
Gospel Acclamation | 1Jn2:5 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Whenever anyone obeys what Christ has said,
God’s love comes to perfection in him.
Alleluia!
Gospel |
Matthew 12:46-50 |
My mother and my brothers are anyone who does the will of my Father in heaven
Jesus was speaking to the crowds when his mother and his brothers appeared; they were standing outside and were anxious to have a word with him. But to the man who told him this Jesus replied, ‘Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?’ And stretching out his hand towards his disciples he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers. Anyone who does the will of my Father in heaven, he is my brother and sister and mother.’
FINDING A TRUE FAMILY WHERE WE CAN BELONG
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [MIC 7:14-15. 18-20; PS 85:2-8; MT 12:46-50]
The family is the bedrock of society. We are all social beings, and the family is the basic community into which we are born and raised. This is why family ties are of paramount importance to every one of us. Historically, and in many cultures today, being cut off from one’s family carries a severe social stigma. Yet, it is also true that family ties are frequently broken due to misunderstandings, quarrels, disagreements, and infidelity. This strain is equally present when it comes to matters of faith and religious conversion.
This passage is widely cited by Christians — both historically and today — who face familial division after embracing Christ. While less common in modern Singapore, there remain many places where religion, culture, and community are inextricably linked. In such contexts, accepting Christ is viewed as a rejection of one’s culture and community, leading many to be ostracised or even disowned by their families. Reading the account of Jesus’ own tension with His family offers immense encouragement to anyone rejected by their biological family for choosing to follow Him.
Furthermore, in today’s heavily secularised world, a family member who commits to Christian service is often viewed as incomprehensible by relatives and friends, who see it as a waste of time and talent. Instead of directing their energy toward making money, advancing a career, or enjoying leisure and entertainment, such devotion to Christian ministry can seem to border on insanity.
This was precisely how some of Jesus’ own family members viewed His life and ministry. The Gospel does not explicitly tell us why His mother and brothers came looking for Him, but it is clear that His ministry was causing a public stir. Perhaps they thought He had lost His mind and wanted to pull Him out of the spotlight to recover (cf. Mk 3:20-21). Or perhaps they heard of the hostile religious leaders seeking to kill Him and wanted to spirit Him away from danger. Alternatively, they may have worried He was suffering a breakdown from ministering day and night without rest (cf. Mk 6:31). It is also possible that His claim to be more than who they thought He was led them to perceive Him as out of His mind. Finally, since Joseph was likely deceased by this time, they may have simply wanted Jesus to return home and care for His mother. Regardless of the precise reason, Jesus’ ministry generated tension and misunderstanding, not only among the crowds, but within His immediate home.
Yet Jesus offers consolation today by redefining what a true family is. He leads the way by demonstrating that the Kingdom of God comes first. It is obedience to God’s will that unites us with Jesus and with one another as brother, sister, and mother. When we acknowledge God as our Father, His family becomes ours, and we view each other as true brothers and sisters in Him. This explains why allegiance to the Heavenly Father must take precedence over all earthly loyalties. When we restrict our primary allegiance to our biological kin, our perspective remains narrow, and we fail to realise that we belong to the far larger family of God.
In the same vein, we discover that our ability to obey the Father’s will depends on our relationship with the Lord and our access to Him. Without coming to Jesus, we cannot know our true identity or how to live as God’s children. This is why Jesus says that no one comes to the Father except through Him (cf. Jn 14:6). It is in Him that we are integrated into God’s family: “But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God” (Jn 1:12-13). Therefore, the true brothers, sisters, and mothers of Jesus are those who do God’s will; there is no natural or hereditary claim on the Kingdom of God. Through an intimate relationship with Jesus, we can rely on Him far more than on immediate family members, who can sometimes prove unreliable. We are truly Christ’s brothers and sisters only if we live the life of the Kingdom as He taught.
Ultimately, the message and ministry of Jesus initiate a unique form of discipleship. Matthew widens this circle to include women by explicitly extending Jesus’ reference to “sister” alongside His brother and mother. For Jesus, anyone — regardless of gender, age, or heritage (Jew or Gentile) — can be a disciple as long as they embrace Kingdom life and believe in Him. In doing so, Jesus expanded beyond the traditional rabbinic models of His day, which restricted formal discipleship to men studying the Torah. Instead, Jesus defines a disciple through a personal relationship with Him expressed in obedience to the Father’s will. Consequently, in the Great Commission, Jesus mandated His followers to “make disciples of all nations” (Mt 28:19). From the early Church’s perspective, disciples are simply those men and women who believe in Christ and obey everything He taught (Mt 28:19-20).
It is within this context that we can appreciate the hope expressed by the prophet Micah. Reminded of God’s glorious plan, Micah intercedes for his people, pleading for God to fulfil His promise to shepherd and provide for Israel. Although living in exile and isolation, Micah prays that God would make the land fertile once again: “With shepherd’s crook, O Lord, lead your people to pasture the flock that is your heritage, living confined in a forest with meadow land all around. Let them pasture in Bashan and Gilead as in the days of old.” Micah’s confidence that God would restore His people to wholeness was rooted in history — specifically in the wonders of the Exodus when God delivered His people from Egypt. He prays, “As in the days when you came out of Egypt, grant us to see wonders.”
Yet God is not only mighty; He is deeply merciful. Marvelling at God’s compassion, Micah cries out: “What god can compare with you: taking fault away, pardoning crime, not cherishing anger forever but delighting in showing mercy? Once more have pity on us, tread down our faults, to the bottom of the sea throw all our sins.” Micah was recalling God’s self-revelation to Moses: “The Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin” (Ex 34:6-7).
When Scripture speaks of God’s fidelity and mercy, we are reminded once again of our invitation to belong to the family of God, regardless of our circumstances. As God’s family, we are called to be forgiving because we have received His mercy. As members of His household, we know that God will never reject us — even when we turn away from Him. He waits patiently for the sinner to return. Even when we stray, God, like the loving Father of the prodigal son, waits for us to come home. The moment we are ready to do the Father’s will, He welcomes us back into His family.
Hence, the core message of today’s Scripture readings highlights the ultimate importance of God’s family, where true acceptance is found. We can be completely confident of our place in His household. Like Jesus, we must be ready to forgive and be reconciled, embodying the spirit of the Prodigal Father who celebrates the homecoming of the child who lost everything. There is hope for everyone — including those born out of wedlock, through surrogacy, to single mothers, or raised by same-sex couples. We can all be God’s children regardless of our biological background, so long as we seek to do His will. By following Jesus, we are formed into the family of God. Therefore, no matter our earthly origins or whether we have been ostracised by our biological kin, God is always ready to welcome us home.
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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