REFLECTIONS
DAILY REFLECTION- LUKE 11-27-28
October 10, 2020
it is just customary for people to attribute the successes, good standing, the right attitude of a person to the good rearing of parents, more so to the mother who lovingly nurtured a child from childhood until the age of reason.
In today's gospel, a woman from the crowd called out and said to Jesus “Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breast at which you nursed.” Maybe the woman, a mother herself, who desires the good of her child too, admired and was drawn to Jesus. She might have even wished that Jesus is her son, hence she blurted enthusiastically a spontaneous praise to Mary, the Mother of Jesus. This passage underlines the important role of a mother in nurturing and educating the growing children.
In the studies conducted on teenage delinquencies and hardened criminals, the root cause of why they have committed such heinous crimes was that they have been rejected by their mothers or not even experienced the embrace of a mother. The absence of love by a significant person in their lives led them to a disastrous life in prison. And how many children and youth due to the exodus of working mothers overseas, experience the same way? Some resulted in teenage pregnancies, incest, broken homes, suicides, and the like.
In Jesus’ response to the woman” Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.”, there was a surprise twist. Jesus was not demeaning the status of her mother, Mary but has elevated it to a higher level. Mary is a HEARER and OBSERVER of the WORD OF GOD in PAR EXCELLENCE. Since the time of her FIAT to God’s plan of her being the Mother of the Son of God, JESUS, to accompanying Jesus to the foot of the cross, she has shown a perfect commitment to GOD’S WORD. On the other hand, Jesus’ response also poses a challenge to the woman to LISTEN to him and observe the Word of GOD.
This gospel passage brought back wonderful memories of my mother, Leonidas, whose exemplary life, a HEARER and OBSERVER of GODS WORD, has shown to us the FACE OF A LOVING GOD. Likewise, it is an INVITATION to me to be an ardent hearer and observer of the WORD OF GOD.
