Acts 1:12-14
12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a sabbath day’s journey away; 13 and when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James. 14 All these with one accord devoted themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.
After the Ascension the Eleven and Mary the Theotokos walked the short distance back to Jerusalem (less than a mile.) There they gathered with the rest of the disciples in the room that held so many memories of the final days of Jesus: the “Last Supper,” the first Eucharist, the washing of the feet, the betrayal by Judas, the singing of hymns and then the night in Gethsemane and the terrible events that followed. Arrest, torture, crucifixion. Almost everyone scattering in fear. And then everything changing in the light of the empty tomb, the encounters with the risen Jesus—in that same upper room—and His ascension. All of this had taken place in the space of just over a month. Only now, even the brothers who had once been so skeptical of Jesus were with them, and “all these with one accord devoted themselves to prayer.”
Ancient Christian tradition affirms both that Mary had only one child—Jesus—and that Jesus had brothers and sisters. This is understood in various ways, either that the terms “brother and sister” include a broad range of relatives, like cousins, or that Joseph was elderly when he was betrothed to Mary and had children from a previous marriage. In either case, the brothers and sisters were initially concerned about Jesus’ safety and sanity. We see this when He went home to Capernaum early in His ministry.
Then He went home; and the crowd came together again, so that they could not even eat. And when His family heard it, they went out to seize Him, for people were saying, “He is beside himself.” And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by Be-el′zebul, and by the prince of demons he casts out the demons.” (Mark 3:19-22)
But even on that occasion Jesus pointed to the much wider definition of “family” that would later become the pattern for the Church.
And His mother and His brothers came; and standing outside they sent to Him and called Him. And a crowd was sitting about Him; and they said to Him, “Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, asking for you.” And he replied, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” And looking around on those who sat about him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother, and sister, and mother.” (Mark 3:31-35)
The earthly family of Jesus, including his brother James who later would be the first bishop of Jerusalem and a martyr—was transformed. And now they gathered with Mary His mother, the Eleven and the other disciples in prayer and fellowship to await the promise of the Holy Spirit.
Update
Yesterday and today are being spent on catching up with phone calls, emails and tasks that built up while I was away in Ottawa and Atlanta.
Today, after much waiting and many twists and turns, Jessica Fuhrman, our web content manager, will be at Fort Campbell, Kentucky to witness her husband Matt’s commissioning as a Second Lieutenant in the US Army. This will officially make him an Army Chaplain Candidate. They will then drive the fifteen hours to their home near Saint Tikhon’s Seminary where Matt will be a seminarian. May God grant them many years!