"Our Brother Jesus"

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Right before we say the Our Father during Mass, the pastor in my parish says something along the lines of “Now let us pray in the words that our brother Jesus taught us.”

I cringe (mentally, anyhow) when I hear this phrase. Has anyone else ever heard something like it? I am guessing that the pastor is using words other than those written in the book.
 
“Our Brother Jesus”. I read that phrase somewhere a few years ago, or maybe it was from the radio. Can’t remember. But, I know my ears perked up. It doesn’t sound right.

To me, “Brother Jesus” is at the least - disrespectful. Jesus is God! And we are God’s adopted Sons. Jesus is much more than a “Brother”. I might be able to say aloud that St. Thomas Aquinas is a “Brother” and think that Sts. Matt, Mark, Luke and John were brothers…maybe.

But to be so familiar as to call Jesus “A Brother” is beyond me.
 
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ktm:
Right before we say the Our Father during Mass, the pastor in my parish says something along the lines of “Now let us pray in the words that our brother Jesus taught us.”

I cringe (mentally, anyhow) when I hear this phrase. Has anyone else ever heard something like it? I am guessing that the pastor is using words other than those written in the book.
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What ever happen to “Our Lord Jesus”?
 
He’s our Father’s first born son.

Would you suggest “our step-brother Jesus” then?

In Western culture we don’t give the same respect to the first born that is demanded in the Eastern culture that Jesus was born into. I believe that is our mistake. Brother Jesus should be perfectly ok, if kept in the proper light.
 
check the missal to see what the priest is supposed to say before the Our Father, maybe there are variations, if not, he has no right to change the language of the missal. But if our baptism confers on us adoptive sonship in Christ, then we become adopted sons of God the Father and so, adoptive brothers of Christ, so what in that terminology offends you, other than changing the words of the Mass? The nature of our relationship with God is just that, incorporation into the Trinity which is essentially a familial relationship. So the idea of Christ as our “elder brother” should not be problematic.
 
Exporter said:
“Our Brother Jesus”. I read that phrase somewhere a few years ago, or maybe it was from the radio. Can’t remember. But, I know my ears perked up. It doesn’t sound right.

To me, “Brother Jesus” is at the least - disrespectful. Jesus is God! And we are God’s adopted Sons. Jesus is much more than a “Brother”. I might be able to say aloud that St. Thomas Aquinas is a “Brother” and think that Sts. Matt, Mark, Luke and John were brothers…maybe.

But to be so familiar as to call Jesus “A Brother” is beyond me.
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It may be uncomfortable for some but as adopted sons(and daughters) we can call God “Father” and Jesus brother. What would be the use of being adopted if this were not true. Disrespect? I think maybe recognition of the love that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have for us. Love which of course like all true love imposes responsibility on us to strive, no matter how unworthy, to love Him in return. I think there are intimations of this relationship in Paul’s letters.
 
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rwoehmke:
It may be uncomfortable for some but as adopted sons(and daughters) we can call God “Father” and Jesus brother. What would be the use of being adopted if this were not true. Disrespect? I think maybe recognition of the love that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have for us. Love which of course like all true love imposes responsibility on us to strive, no matter how unworthy, to love Him in return. I think there are intimations of this relationship in Paul’s letters.
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While I agree that Jesus is our brother, He is first and formost our God!!! One third of the Holy Trinity!
How about a little humility?
 
humility means acknowledging the truth about ourselves and our relationship with God. to deny our brotherhood with Christ is to deny the reality of what He did for us in bringing us to his Father as co-heirs with him.
 
More Vatican II terminology:

**From Vatican II:

**Lumen Gentium 32 'As the laity by divine choice have Christ as their brother… they also have as brothers those in the sacred ministry.

Gaudium et Spes: ‘He(Christ) assures those who trust in God’s charity that the way of love is open to all men and that the effort to establish a universal brotherhood will not be in vain’. Cf 91: ‘This Council intends to help all - whether they believe in God or do not explicitly acknowledge him - to strive for a more deeply rooted sense of human brotherhood’.

See also the theme of equality: ‘all are equal’, both in the Church as sons of God (Lumen Gentium 32), and in the world as human beings of equal dignity (Gaudium et Spes 29).

In V2, we have once again redefined dogma, as Jesus as our Lord and Savior, he is now our Brother. Wonder why there is so much controversy about V2? Pick up Lumen Gentium and give it a quick read, I think the document, like the Council meant well, but it has added nothing to the church except confusion.
**

**
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ktm:
Right before we say the Our Father during Mass, the pastor in my parish says something along the lines of “Now let us pray in the words that our brother Jesus taught us.”

I cringe (mentally, anyhow) when I hear this phrase. Has anyone else ever heard something like it? I am guessing that the pastor is using words other than those written in the book.
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I don’t think there is anything in the Bible or CCC that refers to Jesus as brother, and it sure doesn’t seem to apply given a reasonable definition of brothers as fellow members of the Catholic religion, disciples of Christ, etc…
 
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puzzleannie:
humility means acknowledging the truth about ourselves and our relationship with God. to deny our brotherhood with Christ is to deny the reality of what He did for us in bringing us to his Father as co-heirs with him.
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The virtue of humility may be defined: “A quality by which a person considering his own defects has a lowly opinion of himself and willingly submits himself to God and to others for God’s sake.” St. Bernard defines it: “A virtue by which a man knowing himself as he truly is, abases himself.” These definitions coincide with that given by St. Thomas: “The virtue of humility”, he says, “Consists in keeping oneself within one’s own bounds, not reaching out to things above one, but submitting to one’s superior” (Summa Contra Gent., bk. IV, ch. lv, tr. Rickaby).

I am not saying that Jesus is not our brother, I am stating that humility is a virtue.
 
netmil(name removed by moderator):
The virtue of humility may be defined: “A quality by which a person considering his own defects has a lowly opinion of himself and willingly submits himself to God and to others for God’s sake.” St. Bernard defines it: “A virtue by which a man knowing himself as he truly is, abases himself.” These definitions coincide with that given by St. Thomas: “The virtue of humility”, he says, “Consists in keeping oneself within one’s own bounds, not reaching out to things above one, but submitting to one’s superior” (Summa Contra Gent., bk. IV, ch. lv, tr. Rickaby).

I am not saying that Jesus is not our brother, I am stating that humility is a virtue.
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And in the eastern culture that Jesus was born into, the only one who ranked higher in power than the first-born was the father. All other siblings are submissive to the first-born.
 
The Catholic Church teaches that there is but one God, who is infinite in knowledge, in power, in goodness, and in every other perfection; who created all things by His omnipotence, and governs them by His Providence.

In this one God there are three dinstinct Persons, - The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spriit, who are perfectly equal to each other.

We believe that Jesus Christ, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, is perfect God and perfect Man. He is God, for He “is over all things, God blessed forever.” He is God of the substance of the Father, begotten before time; and He is Man of the substance of His Mother, born in time." Out of love for us, and in order to rescue us from the miseries entailed upon us by the disobedience of our first parents, The Divine Word descended from heaven, and became Man in the womb of the Virgin Mary, by the operation of the Holy Spirit…

Sorry ------ Jesus my brother doesn’t cut it! The term is too lacks and takes away the very importance of God! - I am so beneath Him - I am not worthy to touch His robe … To put myself on the same level as My Lord and Creator - is nothing more than the prideful work of man…
 
I must say I did not expect such an interesting discussion to ensue! Thanks to all who have posted so far – I appreciate your thoughts on the matter. Keep ‘em comin’.
 
Rara Avis:
I am so beneath Him - I am not worthy to touch His robe … To put myself on the same level as My Lord and Creator - is nothing more than the prideful work of man…
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Amen. But you forget grace.

And understanding him as brother does NOT put you on the same level. All brothers are NOT equal. He is the FIRSTBORN, there is a difference.

Yes of our own we are not worthy, but through His grace we are. To say otherwise belittles the power of his grace.
 
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ktm:
Right before we say the Our Father during Mass, the pastor in my parish says something along the lines of “Now let us pray in the words that our brother Jesus taught us.”

I cringe (mentally, anyhow) when I hear this phrase. Has anyone else ever heard something like it? I am guessing that the pastor is using words other than those written in the book.
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My Church doesn’t say brother, it says JESUS.
 
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Trelow:
All brothers are NOT equal. He is the FIRSTBORN, there is a difference.

Yes of our own we are not worthy, but through His grace we are. To say otherwise belittles the power of his grace.
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Jesus is BEYOND the Firstborn -

When a soul is in the state of sanctifiying grace - It is in truth living a temple of the Blessed Trinity, and this most tremendous of all mysteries, this most mysterious of all realities, resides and acts within our very souls In a certain sense it is a beginning of heaven on earth, for, as Pope Leo XIII tells us, “That wondrous union which is known by the name of the Indwelling differs only in regard to its state, from that by which God confers beatitude on those who have entered heaven.”.

(at the very thought of this we should turn our thoughts inward for a moment to breathe an act of faith and an act of love?)

Like I said calling Jesus “Brother” just doesn’t cut it!
 
Rara Avis:
Jesus is BEYOND the Firstborn -

When a soul is in the state of sanctifiying grace - It is in truth living a temple of the Blessed Trinity, and this most tremendous of all mysteries, this most mysterious of all realities, resides and acts within our very souls In a certain sense it is a beginning of heaven on earth, for, as Pope Leo XIII tells us, “That wondrous union which is known by the name of the Indwelling differs only in regard to its state, from that by which God confers beatitude on those who have entered heaven.”.

(at the very thought of this we should turn our thoughts inward for a moment to breathe an act of faith and an act of love?)

Like I said calling Jesus “Brother” just doesn’t cut it!
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I’m not promoting it, just saying it’s accurate.

If your brother was king you would address him as king, that doesn’t mean he’s not your brother.
 
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Trelow:
I’m not promoting it, just saying it’s accurate.

If your brother was king you would address him as king, that doesn’t mean he’s not your brother.
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Very good analogy - If your brother were king, you are right - you would call him “Your Royal Highness”

So we are NOT to address Our God, Our King as brother … And I find it very persumptous to do so. …Best we know our place and stay there!
 
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