First reading 2 Samuel 6:12-15,17-19
David dances before the ark of the Lord
David went and brought the ark of God up from Obed-edom’s house to the Citadel of David with great rejoicing. When the bearers of the ark of the Lord had gone six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fat sheep. And David danced whirling round before the Lord with all his might, wearing a linen loincloth round him. Thus David and all the House of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with acclaim and the sound of the horn. They brought the ark of the Lord in and put it in position inside the tent that David had pitched for it; and David offered holocausts before the Lord, and communion sacrifices. And when David had finished offering holocausts and communion sacrifices, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of Hosts. He then distributed among all the people, among the whole multitude of Israelites, men and women, a roll of bread to each, a portion of dates, and a raisin cake. Then they all went away, each to his own house.
Responsorial Psalm 23(24):7-10
Who is the king of glory? He, the Lord, he is the king of glory.
O gates, lift high your heads;
grow higher, ancient doors.
Let him enter, the king of glory!
Who is the king of glory?
The Lord, the mighty, the valiant,
the Lord, the valiant in war.
O gates, lift high your heads;
grow higher, ancient doors.
Let him enter, the king of glory!
Who is he, the king of glory?
He, the Lord of armies,
he is the king of glory.
Gospel Mark 3:31-35
Who are my mother and my brothers? Those that do the will of God
The mother and brothers of Jesus arrived and, standing outside, sent in a message asking for him. A crowd was sitting round him at the time the message was passed to him, ‘Your mother and brothers and sisters are outside asking for you.’ He replied, ‘Who are my mother and my brothers?’ And looking round at those sitting in a circle about him, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers. Anyone who does the will of God, that person is my brother and sister and mother.’
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Relationship with God
“Anyone who does the will of God, that person is my brother and sister and mother.” For someone to do another’s will freely and willingly implies a close relationship between them. In the gospel, Jesus highlighted this priority to anyone who wants to follow Him: having and building their relationship with God above any other relationship. Why? Simply because God is love. The more we relate with God, the more we are taught how to relate in love and with love. From here, little by little, we learn not only to connect with God in love but to relate with everyone else in our lives with love. This is the true outcome of prioritising our relationship with God. Putting God first does not mean that we neglect our other relationships. On the contrary, a true relationship with God leads us to turn to love others deeply.
Let us spend quality time with God to learn to be loved and to love. We also ask Mary to help us deepen our relationship with God so we can do His will in our lives as she did in hers.
Reflective question:
How can I relate deeper with God?
How can I relate deeper with God?
Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year B” by Sr Monika Punan FMVD.
