Will of the Father

There is a passage in the Bible where it appears Jesus is snubbing His Mother, Mary, when she and some relatives wished to speak to Him. “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers? ...Whoever does the will of my Heavenly Father is brother and sister and mother to me,” said Jesus [Matthew 12:48-50].

Truly not a snub of His Blessed Mother, but rather an assurance that we all can enter into a divine relationship with Jesus Christ our Savior so long as we do the will of our Father in Heaven. What is our Father’s will? To love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind and to love our neighbors as ourselves—these are the two greatest commandments [Matthew 22:37-39].

To understand the will of God is to understand that God’s very being is love. “God Himself is an external exchange of love, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and He has destined us to share in that exchange.” [Catechism of the Catholic Church #221] Mary certainly understood the will of God and the need for each of us to enter into this saving relationship by saying yes to His call. Like Mary, when we say yes, we open our hearts, minds, and souls to the Holy Trinity and our glorious transformation in this relationship begins.

Entering into this divine exchange of love, just as Mary did, means devoting our ordinary, everyday lives to proclaiming the greatness of God—the greatness of Love—in what we say, in what we do, and in how we treat one another. In doing so, we live forever in the security of God’s love. “My love shall never leave you nor my covenant of peace be shaken,” says the Lord [Isaiah 54:10].

Mary also understood that with this devotion comes sacrifice which Our Lady freely made. Any sacrifice done out of love, particularly the love of God, has a sweetness that is hard to describe. It is the sweetness of knowing that what we do is for a greater good that will last beyond our years—like a father and mother who sacrifice for their child so their child can have a better life.

To have life on earth better than what we have and to live a glorious life eternally, the Love of God—through the love of Mary—came into the world as Jesus Christ to show us the Way, the Truth, and the Life that leads to Heaven. For this journey to salvation, Our Lord pours onto us the Holy Spirit which gives us the ability to do whatever Our Lord tells us so that we can enter Heaven’s gate. Whether we choose to follow the will of our Father is up to our will—a gift freely given to us by God to freely use.  Through the power of Our Lady’s intercession, may we choose to spread the love of God according to His will.