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."
Introductory Prayer: Lord Jesus, you are the master of the universe, and yet you wish
to listen to me and guide me. You know all things past, present and future, and
yet you respect my freedom to choose you. Holy Trinity, you are completely
happy and fulfilled on your own, and yet you have generously brought us into
existence. You are our fulfillment. Thank you for the gift of yourself. I offer
the littleness of myself in return, knowing you are pleased with what I have to
give.
Petition: Lord,
help me to imitate Mary.
1. Mary’s Masterpiece: The
woman in this passage has a great insight. She senses the greatness of Jesus.
Probably she intuits that he is the Messiah. It is doubtful if she has guessed
that he is also God-made-man. But from Jesus’ greatness, she is able to infer the
greatness of Mary. It is obvious to her that whoever produced this masterpiece
of humanity must have been a masterpiece of humanity herself. And she is right.
The humanity of Jesus is Mary’s masterpiece. All of what she is, she imparted
to him. While we cannot credit Mary with the perfections of Jesus’ divinity, we
would be doing her a grave injustice to think that Jesus’ human virtues and
perfections were not positively impacted by her example.
2. The Immaculate Conception: God
desired Jesus to come into this world like every one of us, as an infant, and
so Jesus needed a mother. God wanted him to have the finest mother, a perfect
mother, and so he gave Mary many gifts, starting with her Immaculate
Conception, preserving her from original sin. Who could imagine Jesus – pure
and innocent – wrapped in flesh polluted by sin for the first nine months of
his existence? Would such an innocent child ever have been able to stop crying
while being tended to by a sinner? The Father wanted the best for his Son and gave
him the best, even though he had to provide the miracle of the Immaculate
Conception in order to do it.
3. Jesus’ Educator: Being
truly human, Jesus had to learn just like any one of us. Because of his
divinity, his human capacities were untainted by sin, but it was Mary who
taught him how to use them, who honed them in the everyday life of the family
until they were perfect – just as any mother would. Mary was the perfect one to
bring out all the perfections in Jesus’ human nature. Being immaculately conceived,
Mary’s mind was not wounded by sin and so was always able to discover ways of
parenting and teaching that were perfectly suited to Jesus’ human nature. To
educate doesn’t mean to just give knowledge. In its fullest sense, it means to
train in virtue. Mary’s continuous example of virtue – hearing the word of God
and observing it – was certainly compelling for Jesus in his educational
upbringing.
Conversation with Christ:
Dear Jesus, it’s hard for me to understand
that, as human, you needed education just like anyone else. Help me to see that
you were truly and fully human like me. Moreover, since you have already given
me Mary to be my Mother, ask her to educate me too, to form me in all the
virtues the way she formed them in you.
Resolution: Do I really think of
Mary as my educator in the full sense, in the sense of teaching me virtue? What
is the virtue I need the most? I will ask Mary to educate me in it in a special
way today
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