On the 10th Sunday of Ordinary time, we see a multitude seek Jesus to touch Him and to be cured of their infirmities; they comprehend and recognize in Him a supernatural power. Therefore, the parents of relatives of Jesus were wanting to secure Him, for they said: “He is out of His mind.” The relatives fear that this manner of acting can compromise the family name, then they decide to take control of the situation.
Seeing the attitude of the relatives of Him, we can ask ourselves: “How many times are we called crazy?” Principally the persons that assume a type of radical life, leaving all to follow Christ more closely, as consecrated, as committed spouses with the pastors in chapels, in parishes and in the diocese, among such persons that dedicate their life for the hope of community. There are our relatives that at times accuse of of being crazy. . .
Jesus is inside the house. A multitude and His relatives are outside and around Him, listening to Him. They are there with the disciples of Jesus, also with the multitude, person capable of leaving all to follow Him. They are the lame, the crippled, the poor, the sick that are “like sheep without a shepherd” (Mc 6:34)
“Participating in the house” is to be present in the banquet of life, to draw near to the other in place of dialog and comprehension. But upon entering in the house it is necessary to break with the system of oppression that there is in society, the measure which is make as another instrument of my will and I am in dispute with the rest. The house is the appropriate place to attract the proposal that Jesus desires to announce and to promote the system of social relationships.
A prophet is not appreciated in his own country, among his relatives and in his house (cf. Mk 6:4) The persons capable of comprehending the mission of Jesus are those that make an experience with Him. The closest to him depart before the mission of Jesus, however, the most distant draw near to Him and to His mission.
“Drawing near to his mission” Is to find oneself inside the house and recognize in Jesus the presence of the Reign of God. It is necessary to comprehend the gestures and not to have a hard heart. Those that are outside the house are the adversaries, those that want to interrupt the mission, in union with an ideology that dominates the person that that controls the oppressive system.
To be in the house is the principle focus and hub of departure. Jesus feels close and familiar to all those that let themselves be involved in His project. The degree of relatedness is as a title for those that are able to do their part in the new community, which requires fidelity over all. Jesus refuses to accept whomever does not accept His mission.
It is necessary to be obedient to God, to be connected to His will and attentive to His teachings. It is the unity in Jesus that should make clear in the option of life, in the establishment of a family, as also in life. To live life as a part of the project of God and in the construction of a new world, in which the hope moves us to the front to enables us to arrive to the land of milk and honey. They speak what they want to speak, but we need to say: “I am Catholic and never will I give up!”
The prayer that we should pray is “O God, as You sent us Your Son, that is made craze for love of Your will, so make us so crazy. Crazy to accept whatever type of work and to go to whatever place always in the sense of the simple life, humble, loving and promoting peace, justice and the restoration and reconciliation among families.”
This small prayer portrays the option of life for Jesus, Whom His own relative called crazy and tried to impede Him in the progress of His mission, when they judged that He is beside Himself because of the crowd that accompanies Him. This crowding of the multitude raises a worry for his relatives and their intervention can be motivated by the activity of Jesus and His way of acting, that flees the schemas of common molds. “He speaks with authority”, or still, “never has anyone spoken as this man speaks.”
Padre Bantu Mendonça
Fr. Bantu Mendonça Katchipwi Sayla is a priest for the Diocese of Tubarão, Angola
His YouTube Page is: http://www.youtube.com/user/bamksayla (Portuguese)