Tuesday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Today's Mass Readings

Today’s readings contain the classic account of the Israelites escaping their Egyptian pursuers by crossing a sea that God has parted. The sea then closes in and destroys the entire army pursuing the Israelites and Israel is saved “from the power of the Egyptians.” (Ex 14:30) In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus is informed that his mother and other relatives have arrived to see him. To this news, Jesus responds by stretching out his hands to his disciples and proclaiming “Here are my mother and brothers. For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, and sister and mother.” (Mt 12:49,50) While in our first reading we have the account of the nation of Israel breaking away from its Egyptian rulers and beginning the process that will end with their independence, the Gospel reading emphasizes the interdependence of people by stressing the relationship among people as one that is similar to that of a family. How can we reconcile a reading about breaking away and becoming independent with a reading that calls us to acknowledge our relationships with each other as relationships that are similar to those among family members?

In the latest encyclical, Pope Benedict XVI, states that “The risk for our time is that the de facto interdependence of people and nations is not matched by ethical interaction of consciences and minds that would give rise to truly human development.” (CIV Para. 9) While advances in technology and the interdependence of economic systems are breaking down barriers between different people and countries, we are left to ask ourselves whether our advancements in these areas have been guided the type of ethical structures meant by Jesus when he references the “will of my heavenly Father.” Our existing economic crisis highlights the fact that we have fallen short in achieving this objective.

We find ourselves living in an extraordinary period in history. In this period, people who have separated themselves over time are being brought together through technology, and this global public square and marketplace is forming at a pace that is hard to comprehend. While it may be tempting to resign ourselves to the fact that these developments will not be connected to a rediscovery of fundamental values to guide them, this result is not inevitable. We are not doomed to converting these developments into an army that is chasing us across the desert. To the contrary, these developments are tools that can be used to create an environment where the interaction between people is one that mirrors the care and concern between family members.

We can individually begin this process by ensuring that our understanding of the tools at our disposal is matched by an equally deep understanding of the fundamental values that are intended to guide our development and use of those tools. While we all see Jesus referencing the will of the Father, actually discerning what that means for us as applied to our daily lives is something that requires reflection. When we discern how to apply this will, we can ensure that these fundamental values are reflected in the tools bringing us together and, more importantly, reflected in the resulting community.

- John Sperino