Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Jesus sometimes introduces teachings that challenge us to consider things from unfamiliar and occasionally uncomfortable perspectives. A superficial reading of today’s Gospel passage might cause one to initially recoil a bit when Jesus asks, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?”
Far from disrespecting his Mother in any way, the words of the Lord in this passage point to the deeper reality of what really constitutes relationship. The natural familial relationships of ‘mother’ and ‘brother’ are based on physical, incarnate realities of personhood. A mother is a mother because a child has been born to her. A brother is born into a family of siblings. These relationships are, of course, beautiful and naturally possess a dignity and sanctity of their own. At the same time, there are inherent limitations of merely nominal relationships. For instance, it is technically possible to be a brother, sister, father, or mother purely based on physical relatedness without possessing the slightest degree of love or fidelity for the other. A relationship that lacks loving, devoted, mutual union of hearts, however, is an empty one that falls far short of what Christ desires for us in relation to Himself and others.
What Christ is emphasizing here, then, is that authentic relationship requires an intentional spirit of love and devotion. Being daughters and sons of God requires more than the physical fact of relationship through our created existence; we must also actively surrender our hearts in loving, living relationship with Him. And who, of all created beings, has more completely surrendered themself to the infinite love of God than Mary, our Most Blessed Mother? On this memorial of her Presentation, let us perhaps ponder the beautiful example that we have in Mary and pray for her continued intercession in every aspect of our lives.