Blessed are Those Who Hear the Word of God and Observe It"

Today's Mass Readings

There are two instances in the gospels where Jesus seems to be devaluing the role of Mary, his mother in his life. One of them is today’s gospel reading from Luke 11:27-28. Jesus response to the woman in the crowd who said, “Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts at which you nursed,” at first sight seems rather negative. In another place in Luke (Lk 8: 19-21), when his mother and his brothers came to see Jesus, he once again seems to minimize the role of his mother. Instead, he says, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and keep it.” Some Christians use these passages to justify their negative assessment of Mary. They say that if Jesus treated Mary in such an ordinary way so must all Christians. There are two reasons to counter the above argument. First, Jesus was the fulfilment of the Law. The Law commanded that one honor their father and mother. Jesus would be breaking the Law if he meant to dishonor his parents in his responses. Secondly, of all the gospels, Luke presents Mary in the most positive light. The annunciation and the visitation stories contain many passages that show the honor with which God himself regards Mary. She is “full of grace,” and “blessed among all women.”

If we take Jesus responses in Luke 8:19-21 and Luke 11: 27-28 at face value, it is easy to see why Jesus hardly meant to dishonor his family, specially his mother. Rather, on deeper analysis we can make the following claim. Based on Jesus own standards (“Blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it” (Lk 11:28), Mary seems to be the most blessed. She, of all human beings was the most obedient to the word, allowed the word to transform her and brought forth the “Word made flesh” into the world.

Each of us can be as blessed as Mary. The key is to blessedness is simple – hear the word of God and observe it.