JOURNAL/WHO IS YOUR FAMILY

JOURNAL/WHO IS MY FAMILY




“MY mother and my brothers are those WHO HEAR the word of God and act on it” Luke 8:21


I am told that EVERYWHERE you look in Italy is a statue of Saint Padre Pio-IN pizza parlors-shops-car windows-and of course-IN EVERY church


Saint Padre Pio-along with Saint Francis-ARE the most popular SAINTS in Italy-HE WAS a mystic-a doctor of souls-and he bore the WOUNDS OF CHRIST-the stigmata


HE was and IS-as WE all are-a brother of Christ and all the members of the FAITHFUL BELIEVERS


Dear Lord-WE PRAY-that we may drawn MORE CLOSELY into the FAMILY of GOD-and we thank GOD for another day of BEING ALIVE in GOD'S EVERLASTING LOVE for us and GIVE thanks for OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS in Christ




















WHO IS YOUR FAMILY




In the XIIth chapter
Of Saint Matthew's Gospel
While Jesus
Is speaking to the crowd
His MOTHER and his brothers
Were outside
Wishing to speak to him


Someone said to Jesus,
“Your mother and brothers
Are standing outside
Wanting to speak to you” Matthew 12:47


Jesus responds
With a rather strange remark,


“WHO is
My mother and my brothers


For whoever
Does the will of my Father
In heaven
Is my
brother, and sister, and mother” Matthew 12:48-50
(as he pointed to his disciples)


What is Jesus trying to say
Is he trying
To denigrate or deny his own family


I DON'T BELIEVE SO


I believe
That Jesus is making the point
That-in addition
To his own family
WHOEVER does the will of God
IS HIS FAMILY too


Jesus is
NOT trying to restrict
The WORD of God
But is
Trying to EXPAND it


For you see
The family has been GOD'S INSTRUMENT
All along


God first began to establish
The word of God
In the garden of Eden


He built Adam a mate-Eve


The Lord God said,
“It is not good
For the man to be alone


I will make him
A SUITABLE HELPER” Genesis 2:18


And in Psalm 127
We find that
CHILDREN are a reward
From the Lord


“Sons are
A heritage
From the Lord
Children a reward
From him” Psalm 127:3


That is NOT to say
That if you do not have children
In today's world
That you are being punished by God


It is just to say
That if you have been BLESSED by God
With a mate and children
TO TREASURE them


Because-there are
Many of us-out here
Like me
That have
Not been as fortunate


“FOR the husband
Is the head of the wife
And CHRIST is the head of the church
HIS BODY
Of which he is the SAVIOR” Ephesians 5:23


As far as who is
The HEAD of the family
In today's times
It really is academic
FOR THERE are many types
Of families in today's world


But what really is important
Is that CHRIST is the HEAD
O f the church


The FAMILY
Is to be UNIFIED
As the
Church is to be unified


Sometimes I wonder
HOW we have become SO BROKEN today
BOTH in the church
And in so many families


NEVERTHELESS-I kind of
FEEL like Christ today
In that
When I think of
WHO MY FAMILY IS


I FEEL
That my family is
DEFINITELY
ALL of my blood relatives
It is
ALL of my friends
And I think it ALSO INCLUDES
“ANYONE who hears the word of GOD
And does it”


I LOVE YOU ALL
So very very much


Robert P. Wallman 11-15-13
ps 3-28-14





Ps 9-23-14-the feast day of Saint Padre Pio