Gospel Commentary for Tuesday, October 28, 2025

We Are No Longer Strangers

The word “no longer” suggests that we once were strangers—that we were like immigrants who have now become citizens. But this goes far beyond any talk about immigration or legal documents. The adoption spoken of here is something much deeper—it’s not about paperwork, but about a real change of substance. It’s not just that we are no longer guests or outsiders in a good household; it’s that we have become the very stones that make up the house itself. We are now full members of the family, built stone upon stone as the dwelling place of God.

Just like the twelve apostles—who represent the new tribes of Israel and the pillars of the Church—we, too, have been called by name: Simon, Judas, Thaddeus… To be called by name is not only a sign of dignity and recognition; it also carries a deep commitment. It’s the same as our baptismal calling, which commits us to God’s mission: to work and struggle so that there will be no more strangers, but more living stones in this vast and beautiful building that is God’s temple.

Parents register their newborn children and give them a name and a family name. That’s what it means to be built up—to be joined together with others, sometimes supporting from below, sometimes rising like towers. We are all part of the same family and called by name. But a name alone isn’t enough—it needs to be followed by the family name, the one we share with our brothers, cousins, and all who belong to the same household. In the same way, a single stone is useless by itself. The bricks must fit together to form the magnificent building that is the house of God.

No one is saved outside the family, outside God’s house. We need to have a name—we need to be a stone in that building. And we will never be left outside the house, because we are the house itself.