In today’s Gospel reading, Luke, the apostle, relates the following story: as usual, Jesus is with the people again, talking to them about God. It happens that his mother and brothers, as we read in the Gospel, came to see him, but because of the huge crowd, they were not able to get close to him, so they silently sent word that they wanted to see him. When Jesus was told: “your mother and brothers want to see you,” he replied: "My mother and brothers are the ones who listen to the word of God and put it into practice."
We’ve heard the story, but now let's meditate together on these two topics and see how we can implement the messages of Christ in our daily lives.
Each one of us here at this moment has also experienced that sweet feeling of being a child. It may be that some have not experienced it for a long time due to life’s various circumstances, but the majority have. All of us, in the absence of our parents, seek them, for we understand that they are our protectors. There have been moments when we upset them and, on the other hand, occasions when we are upset by them. In our childish thinking, we reckon they have made a mistake, and so we are upset by them - and yet, after a brief time, we look for them and realize that they were never upset with us. Therefore, if we, as sinful creatures, cannot separate ourselves from sinful persons like us and stay away from them even for a moment, how can we stay away from our heavenly Father, who is the creator, father, friend, and protector of all of us? It is our duty, as children of our heavenly Father, to seek Him. But it is natural that all of us should ask ourselves. How? If we ever want to be called the mother and brothers of Christ, how can we accomplish that? If you want to know what the means are or where the place is, the answer is very simple and familiar to all of you, we have merely been lax with ourselves. And coming to the answer, where or how do you think? The place is here, dear ones, this holy church where you are present, with the poor, with the deprived, with those who need our help and support. And the means? reading the Bible to see what God will tell us through the Bible; your prayers, because prayer is the bridge that connects God and man, it is food for our soul. In other words, without prayer, our life becomes dry and meaningless, like a field without cultivation. One of our Catholicos, Karekin I (Hovsepiants), Catholicos of the Holy See of Cilicia, says: "One who does good to others - in a material sense as well as in a moral or spiritual sense - gets closer to God." Talk to God, spend time praying, talking to him, and telling him about our failures and successes, as well as our difficulties. Isn't God also our father? Remember what our Lord Jesus Christ said, talking about the father - is there among you a father whose child asks for bread, and you give him a stone? Or gives a snake when the child asks for a fish? Now, if you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who turn to Him? Imagine for a moment that you are a father, or a mother, and your children are not with you, they do not talk to you, would you not be upset, for sure? Sure, you will.
Therefore, dear believers, I will end my sermon by asking the following question: Are we in the group that listens to the Word of God and puts it into practice? Or are we like Jesus’s brother and mother going to see him? Meditate on these questions and if the answer is no, then try to make it right, and the answer is yes, keep working on your faith.
May God Bless you all forever, amen.
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