Then his mother and his brothers came to him

24 SEPTEMBER (Lk 8,19-21)

The freedom of Jesus is great. However, his is not a freedom from everything and everyone to just be by himself. On the contrary, it is a freedom from the whole animate and inanimate created universe, to be entirely and wholly of the animate and inanimate universe, but only to carry out in it the will of his Father. Jesus is as God is in the beginning of creation. God governs all things, he is free from everything, but to give good life to everything. So is Jesus. He is free from everything, every person, to make and give good life to all things, to every person. He manifested this freedom to all those who want to follow him. Who wants to follow him must live this very freedom.

As they were proceeding on their journey someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus answered him, “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.” And to another he said, “Follow me.” But he replied, “(Lord,) let me go first and bury my father.” But he answered him, “Let the dead bury their dead. But you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” And another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say farewell to my family at home.” (To him) Jesus said, “No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God” (Lk 9,57-62).

Even the disciple of Jesus, if he wants to give good life to things and people, must be like Jesus: free from everyone and everything. Before choosing to follow Jesus, all are called to ask themselves if they are able to build this freedom for every day of their lives. If they are not capable, Jesus advised to the non sequel. The sequel demands this freedom, because it must produce true fruits of eternal life. Jesus never hid this need for freedom to man. Always preached it to him.

Great crowds were traveling with him, and he turned and addressed them, “If any one comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. Which of you wishing to construct a tower does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if there is enough for its completion? Otherwise, after laying the foundation and finding himself unable to finish the work the onlookers should laugh at him and say, ‘This one began to build but did not have the resources to finish.’ Or what king marching into battle would not first sit down and decide whether with ten thousand troops he can successfully oppose another king advancing upon him with twenty thousand troops? But if not, while he is still far away, he will send a delegation to ask for peace terms. In the same way, everyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple (Lk 14,25-33).

Jesus lives this sublime freedom even from his Mother and his relatives. He is alone and completely from God. He is of his Mother and relatives, but in God. He is of the whole of creation, but in God and from God. He is of man, of every man, but always according to the will of God. The Gospel reveals us that already at the age of twelve Jesus reminds his mother this need to be from the Father alone. In the Father and from the Father, for the Father he is of every other thing and person.

Then his mother and his brothers came to him but were unable to join him because of the crowd. He was told, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside and they wish to see you.” He said to them in reply, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it.”

There must not be any human desire towards Jesus. There must be a desire according to God instead, wrapped in divine truth, according to the will of the heavenly Father. Even the Mother must leave Lord Christ to be always and only from the Father. This is required by the mystery of salvation. This is required by the mission of redemption that he came to bring it to accomplishment. What is in fact the mission of salvation if not bringing every man back into the most pure and holy will of God? How does a man manage being operator of salvation and redemption if he is from his own will, from his word, his heart, his desires and feelings? Sometimes even a single minute subtracted from the will of God can hinder, impede, delay the salvation of a heart.

Virgin Mary, Mother of the Redemption, Angels and Saints make us free for the Kingdom of God.