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Gospel: Luke 8:19-21
The mother of Jesus and his brothers came to him
but were unable to join him because of the crowd.
He was told, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside
and they wish to see you.”
He said to them in reply, “My mother and my brothers
are those who hear the word of God and act on it.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Saint Augustine once said, “It means more for Mary to have been Christ’s disciple than to have been his mother.”
If you ask any mother, they will tell you that the bond they share with their child is inseparable.
They carried their child in their womb; they nursed their child at their breast; they raised, cared for, cried over, and sacrificed in immeasurable ways for them.
And, I’m sure, would do it a thousand times over.
Mary would’ve felt the same about Christ her son.
That first Christmas night, as she gave birth to him in a stable and cradled him in her arms; as she urgently fled with him into Egypt; as she looked with fervor for him in the Temple; as she stood before his Cross.
So, why is Mary’s relationship to Christ as his disciple more important than being his mother?
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In today’s Gospel, Jesus is preaching inside someone’s home. Suddenly, he’s notified that his mother and cousins are outside looking for him, as if the house should clear out making space for them.
But Jesus uses this as teaching moment, clarifying the distinction between his earthly and heavenly relatives. “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it,” he says.
Which is not only true for us, but also for Mary.
While it was her singular honor to carry Christ in her womb, Mary’s greatness lies in the fact that she followed Jesus as his first and most loyal disciple, ensuring her place in God’s kingdom.
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You and I are invited to do the same – to hear the Word of God and act on it.
Doing so creates an unbreakable bond as brothers and sisters in Christ, ensuring our own place with Mary among the angles and Saints.
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