Mary’s Holiness and Maternity

While Jesus was speaking, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts that nursed you!” But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it!”

How do you respond to Luke 11:27-28?

This verbal exchange simply means that Mary is blessed not only for bearing the flesh of Christ, but most of all because she heard the word of God and obeyed it.

“Mary is more blessed in receiving the faith of Christ, than in conceiving the flesh of Christ. … For his brothers and relatives according to the flesh who did not believe in him, of what advantage is that relationship? Even her maternal relationship would have done Mary no good unless she had borne Christ more happily in her heart than in her flesh.” (Of Holy Virginity -3 – St. Augustine).

In His answer He did not disgrace His mother but showed that His birth would have profited her nothing, had she not been really fruitful in works and faith. – St. Chrysostom

Rather, the blessedness of Mary (Luke 1:48) is because of her Fiat…

“She was the mother of God, and therefore indeed blessed, in that she was made the temporal minister of the Word becoming incarnate; yet therefore much more blessed that she remained the eternal keeper of the same ever to be beloved Word.” – St. Bede

But What Does This Mean About the Role of Mary?

The woman in the crowd was thinking along bloodlines when she cried out to Jesus. Jesus was not, and responded strongly, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” In saying that, it might sound as though he was saying, “Mary is not blessed,” but that cannot be right. Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, had earlier proclaimed, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!” (Luke 1:42). So, Mary is blessed as the Mother of God. But the point here is that her blessedness is not because of bloodlines. Rather, it is because of faith, which is why Elizabeth continued, “Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”

And so, Mary has a true maternity—not merely along bloodlines, but even more importantly, in faith. Part of what it means to enter the family of Jesus is that Mary becomes our mother, too, even though we are non-relatives. Hanging upon the cross on Good Friday, “Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing near, he said to his mother, ‘Woman, behold, your son!’ Then he said to the disciple, ‘Behold, your mother!’ And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home” (John 19:26-27). This is more than simply ensuring that Mary has someone to look after her. Jesus is telling Mary to now think of the Beloved Disciple as her son, and for him to think of her as his mother . . . even though John’s biological mother is right there at Calvary (Matt. 27:56). Lest we think this was true only of the Beloved Disciple, and not of all beloved disciples, Revelation 12 depicts the Queen of Heaven as the mother of Jesus (Rev. 12:5) and says that “her offspring” are “those who keep the commandments of God and bear testimony to Jesus” (v. 17).

Is Jesus putting Mary “in her place”?

So, it is true that, in one sense, Jesus is putting Mary “in her place” in Matthew 12 and Luke 11. It just happens that her “place” is as his mother in faith, and as the mother of Christians. “Blessed is she who believed”! (Excerpts from catholic answers – ://www.catholic.com/magazine/online-edition/jesus-puts-mary-in-her-place)

[Readings: Jl 4:12-21; Lk 11:27-28]