Word to the Wise
Saturday, October 14, 2017 - Saturday in the 27th Week in Ordinary Time
[Joel 4:12-21 and Luke 11:27-28]While Jesus was speaking, a woman from the crowd called out and said to him, "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." [Luke]
When I was a lad so many years ago, we kids had an expression: "God is my father, Mary is my mother, Jesus is my brother. I come from a very religious family!" "Kinship" to Jesus may have presented a problem to the earliest Christian community. What role should any relative of his play in the community. We are told that Herod executed one of Jesus' relatives, James, because his very relationship to Jesus may have been a threat. The gospels show Jesus deflecting any reference to blood kinship with him. The gospel passage today is a sample. Jesus did not come to create a dynasty, but the kingdom of God. The one blood-kin relationship that survived this is with his mother, but that took time to develop theologically through reflection on Jesus' identity and the special role of Mary in God's plan.
The relationship that Jesus proposes instead is that of the disciple, the one like Mary of Bethany (Luke 10:38-42) who sits at the Lord's feet and listens to his words. It is implied that she will act on them, since Martha seems to have been all action and no listening. The Gospel According to Luke is not the only place we see this. There is a similar statement at the end of the Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel According to Matthew (7:24). Listening and keeping the word of God is the sure way to be "kin" to Jesus. The true disciple will be mother, brother, sister to Jesus. AMEN
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