(Audio)
But he said in reply to the one who told him,
“Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?”
There is a new and spiritual reality that takes precedence over the natural reality which we know. It is a reality which we are told that we must prefer even over the deepest natural bonds.
Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me (see Matthew 10:37).
It is in some sense consoling to see Jesus practicing what he preaches. He himself is the Son with whom the Father is well pleased. He himself is the only one who perfectly accomplishes the will of his heavenly Father, and, in doing so, opens the door for us to share in that relationship. He fills us at baptism with the Spirit that makes us too cry, "Abba! Father!" (see Romans 8:15). He himself is therefore the center of this new and preeminent spiritual reality.
But to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name, who were born not by natural generation nor by human choice nor by a man’s decision but of God (see John 1:12-13).
If even the deepest bonds of family must not be preferred to Christ, then we must prefer nothing to him (see Rule of Saint Benedict, Chapter 72). We must accept no other center point for our own lives, around which they can rotate. We must accept no substitute as our source and our destination.
Who is my mother?
Mary is therefore doubly the mother of Jesus. She is his mother in the natural sense. But she, more than any human, cooperated with the will of the Father in heaven when she gave her 'fiat' and said, "Be it done unto me according to thy word" (see Luke 1:38). Her motherhood is therefore unique and privileged compared and not merely natural, entirely noncompetitive with Jesus and his centrality in our lives. Others can share in the motherhood is Jesus, but Mary possesses it par excellence. Jesus therefore makes his own mother a gift to us. In a real sense we are his mother in the way he means to the degree to which we give ourselves over to Mary as our mother, to make her perfect 'Yes' and unwavering fidelity our own.
From the cross Jesus says to us, "Behold, your mother" (see John 19:27) If we accept the gift as did the beloved disciple we become, with him "her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus" (see Revelation 12:17).
It might seem like Jesus was being dismissive of his mother. But he needed the crowds to understand that she was not to be esteemed merely on the basis of blood, for this new family of his would transcend the limits of natural relations and even include the Gentiles. And Mary already knew herself to be favored and blessed by God. This apparent slight did not make her waver, did not even cause a pause in her song of trust to God. She was suited for this new and spiritual family because nothing mattered more to her than obedience to the Father and love and devotion to her son.
Far from being a call to neglect Mary, Jesus is actually revealing the true reason we should turn toward her and avail ourselves of her aid. God looked with favor on her lowliness. And now we thrive precisely as generations who call her blessed.
You will show faithfulness to Jacob,
and grace to Abraham,
As you have sworn to our fathers
from days of old.
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