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In 1918, a boy named Howard Loomis was abandoned by his mother and left at an orphanage. Howard had polio and wore heavy leg braces. Walking was difficult for him, especially when he had to climb steps. Older boys at the orphanage helped Howard by carrying him up and down the stairs. The orphanage was run by Father Edward Flanagan and one day he asked if carrying Howard was hard. The older boy replied with the familiar words: “He ain’t heavy, Father… he’s my brother.”

This phrase has been credited to many people but also fits well with our 1^st reading today. In St. Paul’s letter to the Hebrews, we hear that Jesus calls us brothers. Jesus is not only the Son of God, but because He chose to share the weakness and pain of our human nature, we can identify with Him as brothers and sisters.

As an older brother, Jesus provides us the perfect role model for making the most of our short life on this earth. By following His example, we can spend eternal life with Him and the rest of our heavenly family.

As an older brother, Jesus is also the perfect One to go to in difficult times. He wants to help us celebrate our victories and comfort us in our defeats. Since He allowed His human nature to suffer in our place and “tasted death for everyone”, He is always ready to help us up or carry us, no matter how many times we fall.

As we reflect on how Jesus has carried us in the past during difficult times, let us go to our older Brother in prayer and ask Him for the strength we need to help carry others today.