Saturday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time
Today’s gospel shows us one of the first devotees to our blessed Mother. “Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts at which you nursed,” yells a woman in the crowd. Jesus’ response seems to be a correction at first glance: “Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.” However, when we think about it, there is nothing in Jesus’ statement that contradicts the woman’s words. Mary, our mother, is the prime example of someone who hears the word, observes it, and even brings it to life. Jesus knew well of his mother’s blessedness. His response to the woman in the crowd simply opens the Kingdom and the opportunity to be blessed to the rest of us who like Mary wish to hear the word and observe it.