Daily Catholic Lectio. Tue, 27 January ‘26. Motherhood and Fraternity

Daily Catholic Lectio

Tue, 27 January ‘26

Third Week in Ordinary Time, Tuesday

2 Sam 6:12–15, 17–19. Mk 3:31–35

Motherhood and Fraternity

Human life is woven through relationships. Most of us grow within three familiar bonds: relationships by blood, by marriage, and by friendship. Each of these involves commitment, affection, and presence. Yet, in today’s Gospel, Jesus points to a fourth and deeper relationship—a relationship of the Kingdom. It is not based on biology or social ties, but on one simple criterion: doing the will of God.

When Jesus is told, “Your mother and your brothers are outside asking for you,” his response may sound surprising. He does not reject Mary or his family. Instead, he expands the meaning of family. “Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.” With these words, Jesus lifts Mary’s relationship with him from the biological level to the spiritual level. Mary is not only his mother according to the flesh; she is his mother because she listens, trusts, and does God’s will. At the same time, Jesus opens the door for all of us. What Mary is by grace, we too are invited to become.

Thus, true motherhood and true fraternity are born not merely from blood, but from obedience to God’s will. This is the family of the Kingdom.

But a crucial question follows: How do we know and do the will of God? The Christian tradition offers us three simple paths. First, in silence. God’s will is often drowned out by noise, hurry, and anxiety. Silence creates space for discernment. Second, through the Word of God. Scripture is not just information; it is formation. When we listen to the Word with an open heart, it shapes our desires and choices. Third, through others—through the counsel of wise people, through the needs of the poor, and through the concrete situations of daily life. God’s will is rarely abstract; it meets us in real faces and real responsibilities.

The first reading gives us a powerful example in David. As he brings the Ark of God to Jerusalem, he does so with joy, humility, and reverence. He dances before the Lord, wears the ephod like a servant, blesses the people, and gives them food. David acts not as a distant ruler, but as a father and shepherd. By placing God at the centre of the nation’s life, he fulfils God’s will. In doing so, he becomes both king and son—king to the people, son before God.

Today’s readings invite us into this same relationship. By doing the will of God, Jesus becomes our brother. By doing the will of God, Mary becomes mother not only of Christ, but of all believers. By doing the will of God, David becomes a father to his people. And by doing the will of God, we too enter the family of the Kingdom.

Motherhood and fraternity, then, are not limited roles; they are spiritual vocations. Wherever God’s will is listened to and lived, there the Church becomes family, and humanity becomes home.

Fr. Yesu Karunanidhi

Archdiocese of Madurai

Missionary of Mercy