Word to the Wise
Saturday, October 13, 2007 - Twenty-seventh Saturday in Ordinary Time
[Joel 4:12-21 and Luke 11:27-28]"Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts at which you nursed." He replied, "Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it."
My years in campus ministry have resulted in my having many young married couples as friends. Home visits and baptisms mean that I get to spend time with them during the years that they are starting their families. So, I've seen a lot of pregnant moms and nursing babies. Only a mom could have praised Jesus in the way this woman in the gospel did. Perhaps only a mom can understand the profound meaning of the statement! Yet Jesus seems to deflect the praise to a broader category of persons. It would appear that he makes hearing the word of God and observing it the equivalent (or more important) of giving birth and nurturing. In other places he says that anyone who hears the word of God and puts it into action is brother, sister and mother to him! The New Testament uses the imagery of birth in regard to baptism and to evangelization. By proclaiming the word of God and putting it into action, the evangelizer (any good Christian) can bring to birth the faith of another - be a spiritual "midwife" as it were. Jesus' response is not disrespectful or unappreciative of the woman's praise. He gives a special richness and depth to it by extending the image beyond himself to the world of faith. None of us is likely to remember our physical birth, yet we know we are alive! Most of us "cradle Catholics" are not going to remember our baptism, but we know the impact of our faith. The natural image of pregnancy and nursing is one that should make us appreciative of those who have given life to us - physical and spiritual. AMEN
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