The Lord repeatedly teaches us that above any human bond and authority, even that of the family, lies the duty to fulfill God’s will, one’s own vocation.
He tells us that following Him closely, in the specific vocation He has given to each man and each woman, leads us to share His life to such a degree of intimacy that it constitutes a bond stronger than that of family⁵. Saint Thomas explains this by stating that “every believer who does the Father's will—that is, who obeys Him—is a brother of Christ, because he is like Him who fulfilled the Father's will. However, whoever not only obeys but also converts others, engenders Christ in them, and in this way becomes like the Mother of Christ”⁶.
The bond born from sharing the same blood is very strong, but the one originating from following Christ along the same path is stronger still. There is no human relationship, no matter how close, that resembles our union with Jesus and with those who follow Him.
HCD