24 September 2013 - mary's other children (hint: they're us)
“My mother and my brothers
are those who hear the word of God and act on it.”
This is no slight to Mary. For in this sense she is doubly his mother. She hears the word of God from an angel and is able to act on it saying, "May it be done unto me according to your word." Mary literally gives birth to the word of God. It happens through her obedience to and acceptance of God's word. All other hearing and acting on the word of God that we can do as men is secondary to this. Indeed, it is only valid to the degree that it participates in Mary's fiat. That is why other's who "keep the commandments of God and bear testimony to Jesus" are considered "the rest of her offspring" (cf. Rev 12:17).
Still, Jesus needs to elevate the crowd's minds from the merely natural bonds of flesh and blood which he does indeed share with Mary to the relationships made possible by faith which he and Mary also share share par excellence, but to which we also may enter.
Mary herself is the new temple. She is the ark wherein the fullness of the presence of God is contained. His shekinah glory cloud is even more present in her than it ever was in the old temple (cf. Luk 1:35).
Therefore, even more than the ancient Israelites, let us rebuild the temple, that is, our relationship with Mary. Even more than them, let us celebrate it with joy.
The children of Israel–priests, Levites,
and the other returned exiles–
celebrated the dedication of this house of God with joy.
Mary unites us all because we are her children through our faith in her son.
Jerusalem, built as a city
with compact unity.
To it the tribes go up,
the tribes of the LORD.
Without Mary our obedience is imperfect. It cannot bring Jesus to birth in the world. But Jesus allows us to participate in Mary's fiat. This grace brings Jesus to birth within us and within the world "until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" (cf. Eph. 4:13).
But of course even Mary does nothing to earn the grace by which she obeys. It is given for Jesus. And Jesus is in turn given for her and for us. Mary and Jesus represent the receptive and active aspects of grace and we participate in both. Both are equally unmerited wondrous gifts. And so let us go to her an receive the word of God in our own lives. We will not find him apart from her nor she apart from him.
Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
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