The importance of listening to the Word of God.

Recently I had the opportunity to speak with a man who, among other incorrect remarks about the Church, said this: “The Church can give me nothing anymore. I have read the Holy Scriptures. When I was younger, I did mini-ministry, and they’ll bury me when I’m old and die.”

The Gospel tells how the Lord Jesus responded when his mother and close relatives sought him out.

Why have you come to Mass today? It is a working day. Do you not say similar to the man who, when he has time, wants to be near Jesus and seeks him out even on a weekday?
The Church is not just baptized brothers and sisters – that would be an understatement. The Church is a community that is constantly seeking Christ. And this even on an uncommented feast day.
The Gospel emphasizes this point to us in the words of the Lord Jesus, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and put it into practice” (Lk 8:21).
With these words, Jesus points out that he not only does not send anyone away into himself, he does not despise anyone, but on the contrary – those who hear his word and keep it he exalts as his brothers and sisters and mothers. Thus we witness that a new spiritual family is to be born again and again—… not of flesh and blood, nor the will of man, but God. So we must realize that we Christians are united by something more than family obligations, friendship. The church is a community that receives the word of God and carries it out in love. In this way, it creates a spiritual framework in which all are connected or linked to Christ.

Many people often cannot find their place in the Church when they change residence. Some, therefore, fall away from God altogether. It is not because they have stopped believing, but it is a kind of internal affair. Conversely, others can walk several miles to their church.
After all, God is in every church where Mass is celebrated; the sacraments are administered, the Scriptures are read, and the sermon is read. The teachings of Christ unite us from Baptism, and we form a community of brothers and sisters – no matter if a stranger whom we do not know is standing next to us. Christ unites and unites us. We are, therefore, to have sincere joy. It is therefore necessary that, as far as possible, we create a genuine communion among ourselves so that we may feel good and, if feasible, transmit this atmosphere to those who stand around us. We can show this by our posture, our dignity, our handshakes, and last but not least, our singing.

We know the Virgin Mary was not angry with the Lord Jesus when He said these words. She must have felt how much her Son cared for all His listeners. Listening to the Word of God is not just a matter of habit or a remark that the parish priest will preach for a long time, but let that listening be the joy of each of us that we have come even closer to the Lord Jesus. We realize that this very moment is solemn and necessary.

The gentleman in the opening reflection was wrong when he said that the Holy Scriptures could give him nothing more. In so doing, he excludes himself from the fellowship of the brothers and sisters of the Lord Jesus. Therefore, when he dies one day, and even if a priest buries him, will it profit him since, in his lifetime, he has excluded himself from this communion?