Tues., Jan. 26: 2 Tim 1:1-8; Mark 3:31-35

Timothy and Titus, bishops

Who are my mother and my brothers?

So many people seem determined to tear us apart. We can’t turn on the television or radio or open a newspaper without feeling the effects of our national and interna­tional divisions. The 24-hour cable news and the Internet allow for endless programs aimed at separating people. We teach children not to label by color, but we see no disconnect in judgmentally calling states red or blue or people conservative or liberal. It’s easy to question who our mother and brothers are when we can look across the aisle at church and see good folks whom someone constantly paints as our opposition. We need to recognize that people of faith and goodwill labor in many different ways to do the work of God. We may prefer our own ways, but we should have faith that the Lord guides our moth­ers and sisters and brothers to take different paths for the glory of his name. Lord, make us one, we pray.