"My mother and brothers are those who hear God's word and put it into practice."

We are called to become God's family when we receive baptism. Then we are required to practice what our faith teaches us. Jesus reminds us that, no matter where we are on our faith journey, in order truly to enjoy being part of God's family, we need to be consistently faithful to God's word. The first reading tells us that those who shut their ears to the cry of the poor will also cry out and not be answered.

To be members of God's family means to love one another and to share all that we have. If in a family, some people lead a comfortable life while others suffer from hunger, that is a divided family. Those who belong to it are no longer brothers and sisters but strangers.

As Christians, to be one with Christ, we should always look into ways to keep alive the love that keeps together those who believe in Jesus. Moreover, we also need to focus on the word because that is the source of wisdom and the light that brightens the darkness of daily life.