Gospel: Luke 11:27-28

The Gospel of Luke records the moment when "a woman in the crowd raised her voice" and said to Jesus: "Blessed is the womb that bore you…". Probably the Mother of Jesus was not personally known to this woman; in fact, when Jesus began his messianic activity Mary continued to remain at Nazareth. One could say that the words of that unknown woman brought Mary out of her hiddenness.

 

Through these words, there flashed out the gospel of Jesus' infancy. Thanks to this motherhood, Jesus, the Son of the Most High, is a true son of man. He is "flesh," like every other man: he is "the Word (who) became flesh". He is of the flesh and blood of Mary! 

 

But to the blessing, Jesus replies in a significant way. He wishes to divert attention towards those mysterious bonds of the spirit which develop from hearing and keeping God's word.

 

This same shift is seen when Jesus replies: "my mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it". This he said "looking around on those who sat about him" as we read in Mark or, according to Matthew "stretching out his hand towards his disciples."

 

And we can remember the reply which the twelve- year-old Jesus gave to Mary and Joseph when he manifested that he was completely and exclusively concerned with his Father's business, with the Kingdom of God. Thus "motherhood," too, in the dimension of the Kingdom of God and in the radius of the fatherhood of God himself, takes on another meaning. In the words reported by Luke, Jesus teaches precisely this new meaning of motherhood.