The unknown woman seeing Jesus in his earthly ministry reflects the blessedness that belongs to his mother: “Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts at which you nursed.” What this unknown woman observed is very true. Every woman is blessed and honored in her children. Jesus did not refute this. While Jesus recognizes this truth, He brings this truth to a higher level by acknowledging what has made Mary, His Mother honored and blessed above all as first among all his disciples. Mary has first heard the Word of God and cherished it in her heart. Jesus wanted to make this singular act of Mary the norm for all his disciples and would be disciples. They too, like Mary, should hear the word of God and cherish it in their hearts. That is why Jesus retorted to the unknown woman by saying: “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and observe it.” To become a disciple means to hear, to live and to practice the word of God like the Blessed Virgin Mary.
When we look on the life of Mary, we observe the one whose life was shaped with the word of God. She was immaculately conceived and was dedicated to the Lord right from her childhood. Full of Grace, she received the message of God through Archangel Gabriel at the Annunciation and responded with complete fiat and resignation to the Will of God. A virgin, She assumed the role to be a mother when she said: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord, May it be done to me according to your word.” After the annunciation, the word of God took flesh in her heart and in her womb.
She made her visitation to Elizabeth, her cousin, bringing the joy and presence of the word incarnate to the household of Zechariah and Elizabeth. She still makes her perpetual visitation with us bringing us the joy of God’s word. At her presence, we are filled with the Holy Spirit her spouse. Mary nurtured the word of God in her heart when Jesus was found in the temple. Mary followed the word of God in every step in the unfolding of the mystery of Jesus Christ, the God-made- man. Mary was inseparably united with her Son Jesus Christ in his life, death and resurrection. And so, she is now united with her Son, in his resurrection, exaltation, and glorification. St. Paul tells us in his second letter to his disciple Timothy: “If we have died with him, we shall also live with him; if we persevere, we shall also reign with.”
For that reason, Mary after her earthly life was assumed body and soul into heaven where she now reigns with her son, Jesus Christ in heaven. As the body of her son, Jesus Christ did not see corruption, so did the body of the Blessed Virgin Mary not see corruption. She now reigns as Queen and co-Redeemer with her son. What Mary is, is what we are called to be. As the first among all Christ’s disciples, her role is to form each and everyone us, into perfect disciples of her Son, Jesus Christ. This is the responsibility she received from her son, Jesus Christ, when her dying son, asked her at the foot of the cross, to be a mother to his beloved disciple, to find in him a son, and the beloved disciple to find in her, a mother. Mary’s role is to bring Jesus to us, and to bring us to Jesus. She unites us with her son, Jesus Christ, instructing us to do whatever he tells us to do. As she did at the marriage feast of Cana in Galilee, so does she do with us at all times. Let us therefore, intensify our devotion to the Blessed Mother Mary, and strive to imitate her discipleship in following her son, Our Lord, Jesus Christ.
May God give us the Spirit and grace to deepen our Marian Spirituality, now and forever. Amen
