October 13, 2018

Gospel: Lk 11:27-28
As Jesus was speaking, a woman spoke from the crowd and said to him, “Blessed is the one who gave you birth and nursed you!” Jesus replied, “Truly blessed are those who hear the word of God, and keep it as well.”

Reflections
Are you a blessing to others? Have you shared your blessings with others? Have you felt God‘s blessings in your life? When someone from the crowd wished to compliment Jesus by praising his mother, Jesus did not deny the truth of the blessing she pronounced. Mary is truly blessed. Her canticle: All generations will call me blessed (Luke 1:48) is an affirmation of her status. Her source of all true blessedness or happiness is her yes to God‘s call of covenant or new relationship. Mary humbly submitted herself to a covenant with God: I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word (Luke 1:38). Mary heard the word spoken to her by the angel and she believed it. On another occasion, Jesus pointed out that our true mother and brothers and sisters are those who hear the word of God and do it (Luke 8:21). They are truly blessed because they know their God personally and they find joy in hearing and doing his will. Jesus changes the order of relationships and shows that true kinship is not just a matter of blood relations. The new covenant with God transforms all our relationships and requires a reversal of values. Do you seek God and his word? Or do you seek temporal things in your search for material possessions? Who possesses your heart and mind at the end of the day? The advertising tag line “Satisfaction guaranteed“ can entice us to buy goods that we believe can satisfy us and make us happy forever. We end up just being restless because the heart knows no satisfaction when it comes to temporal values. The heart seeks the eternal and not the temporal.

© Copyright Bible Diary 2018