25 September 2018 – Tuesday of the 25th week in ordinary time – Luke 8:19-21

       Today's Gospel spells out a fundamental theme found throughout the Gospel of Luke.  Luke sees the proclamation of God’s  kingdom as being centered around a household or family of believers in Christ, rather than those who gathered together at the Temple to offer sacrifice or a biological family.  This manner of forming family groups of believers helped spread Christ's teachings in the early Church, crossing the boundaries that separated people in society. In Jesus' day, society and the very survival of an individual were linked to the kinship group that formed around the biological family, so today's Gospel would have been very shocking to those who heard it.

         Even today, followers of Jesus enter into a new family: the family of believers in our Catholic faith.  True kinship in Christ is not about flesh and blood; our adoption as sons and daughters in Christ transforms our relationships and requires a new order of loyalty to God and his kingdom.

         This week we celebrate the feast day of St. Pio of Pietrelcina, who is know affectionately throughout the world simply as Padre Pio.  A Capuchin Franciscan priest, Padre Pio was the first priest in the history of the Church to receive the stigmata in 1918.  Padre Pio received quite a following for his gift of being able to read the hearts of the penitents who flocked to him for the sacrament of reconciliation.  When Padre Pio died on September 23, 2018, fifty years ago, more than 100,000 people.  

         True friendship in Christ's community of believers should strengthen us in our love of God and love of neighbor.  Padre Pio brought both sinners and devout believers closer to God, closer to the family of God, closer to this friendship that exists in the community of believers in Christ.  May we give thanks to God for the blessings we have received through our spiritual families and families of origin.  May our families help us to grow in love and charity, and may we always seek to do what is good and right in all of our relationships.  May the intercessions of Padre Pio bring up all closer to God.