76. Слово в день Рождества Пресвятыя Богородицы 422

And he answered them, saying: Who is My mother or My brothers? (Mark 3:33) Why did righteous Elizabeth, as soon as she saw the Virgin Mary come to her, and heard from Her lips the usual greeting of those visiting, she was immediately filled with such joy that this joy was communicated to the baby in her womb 423, and he jumped, and the mother exclaimed and began to bless the Virgin! From the way Elizabeth herself explains that she recognized Mary as the Mother of the Lord. “Where,” he says, “may the Mother of my Lord come to me?” (Luke 1:43) Why does the Church rejoice so much about the Blessed Virgin Mary and please Her with such delight 424? Why is Her very birth and infancy given a celebratory honor, unparalleled for other saints and righteous people? – It seems that there is no need to look for another answer to this, other than the one we found in the prophetic spirit of Elizabeth: Mary is the Mother of our Lord. But look at the unexpectedness the Gospel presents to us. The Mother of the Lord, whom Elizabeth found and pointed out to us so early, suddenly goes into hiding. Behold, the Lord Himself asks: “Who is My Mother?” - It is impossible to imagine that He either did not know His Mother, or wanted to renounce Her: however, to ask: “Who is My Mother” means either not to know Her, or to deny Her 425. And what do we do when we please the blessed Mother of our Lord, thinking thereby to please Him, and to get closer to Him through Her, if He in some way removes Her from Himself 426? Do not be embarrassed, Chancellors of the Mother of God, by this difficult thought. It will lead us to reflections that will not shake, but will confirm us in the confidence of Her Divine glory, as well as in the understanding of the holy teaching of Her Son and God. “The people around Him sat,” narrates the Evangelist Mark. Deciding to Him: Behold, your mother and your brothers and sisters are looking for you outside. And he answered them, saying, “Who is My Mother or My brothers?” (Mark 3:32–33) That He does not want to know His brothers is not difficult to understand. At that time they were worthy of such alienation, because, as the Evangelist John notes, “neither His brethren believed in Him” (John 7:5) 427. But besides the guilt of their lack of faith, this is true because these were only imaginary brothers of Jesus; for this was the relationship 428 of Joseph, the pretended father of Jesus. Thus, renouncing the brothers, so-called by carnal birth, the Lord does not deny any earthly truth, but affirms the heavenly truth of His Divine birth. But how is it that the Mother of the Lord is subject to the same lot with His brothers? She is not imaginary, but His true mother in humanity; and She never humiliated this high dignity by not believing in Him as the true Son of God. The faith with which She accepted Him, before His earthly birth and conception, during the Annunciation of the Archangel, already surpasses the faith of all other believers. When Jesus, still a baby, in a manger, was recognized by the shepherds as Savior, Christ, Lord 429: what, if not by faith, prompted His Mother to keep “all these words in Her heart” (Luke 2:19)? Before He “revealed” His glory with miracles and His disciples believed in Him (John 2:11), the Mother of Jesus already believed in His miraculous power so much that she convinced Him to perform the first miracle in Cana of Galilee. So She was earlier than others, and more perfect than others, and believed in Him, and knew Him: and He then pronounces the longed-for name of the Mother, and avoids seeing her 430: “Who is My Mother?” then he sees Her, and does not give Her the name of Mother: “What is it,” he says, “a wife for me and you?” (John 2:4). And again: “Woman, behold your son” (John 19:26). God! It is not Your deeds that we torture; but we desire to learn Your saving wisdom. Do not blame us for the tests of the scriptures 431 and grant us the grace of understanding. Is it necessary to warn you, Christians, so that you do not think that the Lord does not fully honor His Most Blessed Mother? Hardly necessary. For you should be aware of the general warning against misunderstandings of this kind, which He Himself gave to the Jews when He said: “Do not imagine that He has come to destroy the law or the prophets; I did not come to destroy, but to fulfill” (Matthew 5:17). Therefore, without a doubt, He did not destroy, but He fulfilled this commandment of the law: “Honor your father and your mother.” And truly, when He, still in his youth, was imbued with a sense of His destiny, his parents, who did not understand this, came to tear him away from the interview with the teachers of the law of God, and lure him away from the church; then He, although he made an objection to this act of his parents, nevertheless “disobeyed him” (Luke 2:51). And finally, when the sufferings of the cross tore His soul and body apart; when with his pierced limbs He hung so heavily on the nails between life and death, and on Him the whole world hung over destruction in anticipation of salvation, 433 neither the torment of all hell, nor the care of the whole world, all times and eternity, drowned out in Him the feeling of legal duty to the Mother. This duty, the fulfillment of which was stopped for Him along with earthly life, He then transferred to John, whom virginity and love made him a worthy servant of the Virgin Mother; and through this, in this part of the law, like in all others, he showed us the perfection that consists in respect for parents, and care for them, extending to all circumstances of life, to the grave, and beyond the grave. If, even in such difficult circumstances, our Lord showed such perfect respect to His Mother: then without a doubt we must conclude that in other cases, although He apparently 434 was alienated from Her, alienated was not at all out of prejudice to the spiritual “greatness” that He “created” for Her (Luke 1:49) by His birth from Her, but only out of respect for the other high duties of His earthly service. Let us remember His teaching: “Whoever loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and whoever loves a son or daughter more than Me is worthy of Me” (Matthew 10:37). So teaching, so He had to create, and by example give strength to the teaching, according to His own rule, that “he who is great in the kingdom of heaven” must “do and teach” (Matthew 5:19). Therefore, it was necessary for the Lord Jesus sometime in His earthly life to show by His deed how He loves His earthly Mother completely, only not “more than” His heavenly Father, and how He sacrifices filial love according to humanity to the work of God that He accomplishes. Now look how this speculation explains the deeds of Christ, which seemed incomprehensible at first glance 435. Jesus' mother demands that He miraculously produce wine at the wedding. But miracles are not intended to please the Mother, but to reveal the glory of God. So here, pleasing the Mother had to be sacrificed: and, for the perfection of this sacrifice, both the very thought of the Mother and the very name of the Mother 436 were sacrificed: “What is a wife for me and for you?” However, the hour to reveal the glory of God, which did not come before the sowing of the sacrifice, came right after it: and therefore the miracle, which, apparently, was denied to the Mother, takes place in a minute. The Mother of Jesus and His brothers come to take Him from home, where He preaches heavenly truth to a large crowd. They undertook this out of good intentions, considering Him to be in danger: because His enemies declared Him to be either frantic or acting through the prince of demons, and plotted to destroy Him. But if He had submitted to the will of His relatives, then harm would have been done to the cause of God, not only because His preaching would have been interrupted untimely, but also because His enemies, as evidence of slander, would have used His capture by His relatives, as if He needed their care 437 . So here, too, the pleasure of the Mother had to be sacrificed: and this sacrifice was again a complete burnt offering, that is, the Lord sacrificed all His love for the Beloved Mother, and the very thought and memory of Her 438: “Who is My Mother?” As if He were saying this: “Why, by the will of the earthly Mother, do you want to distract Me from fulfilling the will of the Heavenly Father? When these two wills pull in different directions: I know, and I will immediately show which of them should be followed and with what decisiveness. I leave earthly birth and kinship, as if I had forgotten it, as if it did not exist at all: I am completely devoted to the will of the Heavenly Father, and to His work, and to His Kingdom; Here I am also looking for kinship for myself, if it is necessary to have one: “Who is My mother or My brothers?” Who are they? “Children of God who believe on His name, who were not born of blood, nor of carnal lust, nor of man, but were born of God” (John 1:12–13); or in other words: “Whoever does the will of God, this is My brother, and My sister, and My mother” (Matthew 12:50). You see, Christians, that the Lord does not deprive His Mother, worthy of every blessing, of attention, 439 but teaches us truth and justice, by word and example. Listen and learn; notice and imitate. When parents, relatives, mentors, bosses demand from you that which is contrary to your wisdom, your inclination, your taste, but what is necessary, or useful, or at least harmless: sacrifice your wisdom, your inclination, your taste for the duty of obedience. Remember Jesus, the Wisdom of God, who “disobeyed” Joseph the treemaker. When your parents, relatives, neighbors demand help, consolation, service, while you yourself are in need, in sorrow, in weakness: gather your last strength; forget your sorrow to ease their sorrow; share with them the last grain and the last drop. Remember Jesus, amidst the torment of the cross, caring for the peace of His Mother. But when the unfortunate example and desires of your parents, relatives, people you honor and love, distract you from fulfilling your sacred duties to God, involve you in deeds that are contrary to the law, that violate the peace of conscience, that are contrary to the true good and salvation of your immortal soul: then you also ask yourself in the word of Jesus: “Who is my mother or my brothers?” Remember that you have the best and highest ordinary kinship; that God is your Father; that the Church, your Mother, that all who do the will of God, all the Saints, are your brothers, or at least wish to be your brothers; do not humiliate yourself before this high kinship; do not separate yourself from this good and wonderful family; do the will of God instead of man; Yes, the Lord will point to you and say: “Behold My mother and My brothers.” Amen. According to Jew. collection this word, without indicating the day or year, is placed after the words of 1828 and before the words of 1829. According to Jew. collection: to the baby with whom Elizabeth was pregnant, According to Jew. collection further follows: Truth, and every righteous person is remembered with praise. But why does the Holy Church commemorate the Most Rev. Accompanying the virgins with special solemnity, especially in memory of all other righteous people? According to Jew. collection: What does this mean? Doesn't he know her? or knowing he won't know? or knowing and recognizing it, renounces it? – Neither one, nor the other, nor the third is likely. However, to ask: “Who is My Mother” means either not to know, or not to recognize Her, or to deny Her. According to Jew. collection: but He seems to be shying away from Her and does not want to recognize Her. According to Jew. collection further follows: Because they did not recognize Him in the kingdom of grace: rightly He does not recognize them in the kingdom of nature. According to Jew. collection: children... According to Jew. collection further follows: or when at the age of twelve in the Church He revealed His being and purpose with then incomprehensible words: “am worthy to be in those who are My Father” (Luke 2:49). According to Jew. collection: doesn’t want to see Maria:.. According to Jew. collection: Lord, long-suffering and abundantly merciful! It is not Your most holy deeds that we, sinners and unworthy, torture; but we desire to learn Your saving wisdom. Forgive the insolence of the test... According to Jew. collection: against His will they were torn away from the interview with the teachers of the law of God, and extracted... According to Jew. collection: between destruction and salvation... According to Jew. collection: in some way... According to Jew. collection further follows: and strange. According to Jew. collection: So here, pleasing the Mother must be sacrificed: and she is sacrificed in such perfection that the very name of the Mother is burned out in this burnt offering:.. According to Jew. collection: slander about His fury, they would use His taking under the supervision of His relatives. According to Jew. collection: and this sacrifice was again a burnt offering, in which the very thought of the personality of the Beloved Mother was burned away:.. According to Jew. collection: insults,.. You might be interested in: