Putting the word of God into practice is a daily choice and a daily decision

 
Reading: He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.” Luke 11:28.
 
Good morning, happy Tuesday, and many blessings my dear family.
 
The Gospel for today (Luke 11:27-28) is only two verses long. The scene picks up from yesterday’s Gospel when Jesus was preaching to the crowds. On this day as he was preaching, a woman in the crowd called out to him and cried out that his mother was “blessed” for giving birth to him and for nursing him! Jesus responds to her comment by saying: it is not enough simply to “hear” the word! What is most important is how we “live” the word each day of our lives! Hearing or listening to the “word” is easy. Putting it into practice is a daily choice and a daily decision. What do we choose to do?
 
This is a beautiful short passage from Luke on blessing. Luke’s gospel is full of blessings, especially in the infancy narrative of the first two chapters. All kinds of people - Zechariah, Elizabeth, Mary, Simeon, Anna - know themselves to be blessed on account of a child - John, Jesus - who is to be born.
 
In Luke's nativity accounts, those who are blessed sing for joy. And yet the words of Jesus in his ministry draw us away from this. The gospels are clear about the tension between Jesus and his family, as the one he has learnt to call Father becomes the center of his life and the source of all blessing.
 
The woman in the crowd appreciates what Jesus has said, praising and blessing his mother. Jesus in reply, asks her to imagine instead those who listen and are obedient to the word of God. Do what they do, rather than applaud what they say.
 
In today’s culture we often hear the terms ‘Follow’ and ‘Like’ mentioned. Could the powerful value of social media sometimes cause us to miss the point? Can we be caught in positive adulation rather than positive action? Does the flood of personalities in the media reporting of events excite my appetite so much that it blunts my perception of what meaningful action is important for me?
 
What do I make of Jesus' reaction here? He risks being blunt with the woman in the crowd and dismissive of his mother. What is he getting at? What does he really want to say? What does it say to me? How much of my time goes on what is insignificant, and how much of it is spent on what is significant? Do I have a moment to give this a thought?
 
Blessings,
 
Fr. Luis+