XIX. Mother and Brethren of Christ

SERMON XIX.

THE MOTHER AND BRETHREN OF CHRIST

Nativity of the Holy Mother of God.

“And He answered them, saying, Who is My Mother, or My brethren?” – S. Mark iii 33.

     Why is it that the righteous Elizabeth, as soon as she saw the Virgin Mary coming to her, and heard from her lips the greeting usual in visitors, was directly filled with joy, such that this very joy communicated itself to the babe in her womb, who leaped therein and the mother spoke out with a loud voice and began to bless the Virgin?  It was because, as Elizabeth herself explains, she recognised in Mary the Mother of the LORD.  “And whence is this to me,” said she, “that the Mother of my LORD should come to me?” [S. Luke i. 43.] 

     And why also does the Church so greatly rejoice in the holy Virgin Mary, and bless her with such rapture?  Why does she render a festive honour to her very birth and infancy, an honour unaccorded to any <217> other saints or other righteous persons? There is seemingly no necessity to seek any other answer than the one, which is already to be found in the prophesy spirit of Elizabeth: Mary is the Mother of our LORD. 

     But see, what unexpected things the Gospel offers us. The Mother of the LORD, whom Elizabeth had so early found and pointed out to us, suddenly disappears.  Behold, the LORD Himself is asking, “Who is My Mother?”   It is impossible to imagine, that He should either not have known His Mother, or wished to deny her; yet to ask, “Who is My Mother?” means, either not to know her, or to deny her. 

     And what are we then doing, when we glorify the blessed Mother of our'LORD, thinking thus to please Him, and to draw nigh unto Him through her, when He, in some sort, turns her aside from Himself.

     Be not troubled, ye who sing the praises of the Mother of GOD, at this perplexing reflection.  It will lead us to meditations which will not shake, bur confirm us in the assurance of her divine glory, as well as in the right understanding of the holy doctrine of her Son and GOD.  “The multitude sat about Him,” the evangelist Mark relates, “and they said unto Him, Behold, Thy Mother and Thy brethren without seek for Thee.  And He answered them, saying, Who is My Mother, or My brethren?” 

     That He should not will to know His brethren, is not difficult to understand. At that time they were worthy of such estrangement, “for,” as observes <218> S. John, “neither did His brethren believe in Him.” [S. John vii. 5.] But even apart from their sin of unbelief, this denial of them was just, since they were but the supposed brethren of JESUS: being of the family of Joseph, the father, as was supposed, of JESUS.  And thus in renouncing His brethren, so called after the birth of the flesh, the LORD denies no earthly truth, but affirms the heavenly truth of His divine birth. 

     But how is it that the Mother of the LORD also should be subjected to the same lot as His brethren?  She is not His supposed, but His true Mother according to humanity; and never has she lowered this high dignity by unbelief in Him, as the true Son of GOD.  That faith  alone, by  which  she received  Him,  before His earthly  birth  and  conception,  at the time of the Archangel’s annunciation,  that faith  alone, already surpassed  the faith  of all other believers.  When  JESUS, still an infant in the manger, is acknowledged by the Shepherds as SAVIOUR,  CHRIST and  LORD, by what,  if not by  faith, is Mary  impelled  “to  keep  all these things,  and ponder them in her heart?” [S. Luke ii. 19.] Before that by His miracles He had “manifested forth His glory, and His disciples believed on Him,” [S. John ii. 11.] the Mother of JESUS already  believed  so  strongly  in  His miraculous might,  that it was she who  prevailed  upon Him to  work  His first miracle in Cana of Galilee.  Thus, she both before all others and more perfectly <219> than  others,  believed  in  Him and  confessed  Him: while He, at one time, pronouncing the blessed name of Mother, seems to avoid seeing her, saying, “Who is My Mother?" at another, seeing her, gives her not the name of Mother: “Woman, what have I to do with thee?” [S. John ii. 4.] And again: “Woman, behold thy son!” [S. John xix. 26.] 

     O LORD! we dare not pry into Thy words, but we desire to  be instructed by Thy redeeming  wisdom. Impute not to us as a sin our examination of the Scriptures, and grant the grace of understanding to us.  Is it necessary to caution you, Christians, from thinking that the LORD did not fully honour His most blessed Mother?  This can hardly be necessary.  For you  must be aware of the general caution  against all similar misunderstandings, which He Himself gave to the Jews, by saying, “Think  not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.” [S. Matth. v. 17.] And therefore, doubtless, He did not destroy, but fulfilled this commandment of the law, to “honour thy father and thy mother.”  And indeed, when He, still young in years, but full of the consciousness of His mission, was drawn away from His converse with the teachers of the law of GOD by His ignorant parents, who understood this not and came to carry Him away from the temple; then He, although objecting to this proceeding of His parents, nevertheless “was subject to them.” [S. Luke ii. 51.] And at the end, when the <220> sufferings of the cross were rending His soul and body; when, by His pierced limbs He hung so heavily on nails, between life and death, while the whole world in Him was suspended over perdition, awaiting redemption; neither the tortures of entire hell, nor the cares of the universe, of all time and eternity, were able to stifle in Him the sense of lawful duty towards His Mother.  This duty, the fulfilling of which ceased for Him with His earthly life, He then transferred to John, whose chastity and love had made him worthy to be the servant of the Virgin-Mother, and thereby in this part of the law, as well as in all others, He showed us that perfection, which makes the respect towards parents, and the care of them, extend throughout all the circumstances of life, unto the grave, beyond the grave. 

     And if the LORD has showed such perfect reverence to His Mother even under such trying circumstances, then doubtless we are to infer, that in all other circumstances, although apparently estranged from her, He did so, not to the prejudice of those spiritual “great things” which “He had done to her,” [S. Luke i. 49.] by His birth from her, but only from the consideration of the other high duties of His ministry on earth.  Let us remember His teaching: “He that loveth father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.” [S. Matth. x. 37.] And teaching thus He was bound to act thus also, and <221> by His example to give strength to His instruction, according to His own precept, “that whosoever shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven, shall do and teach men.” [S. Matth. v. 19.]  And therefore it behoved the LORD JESUS at some period of His life on earth to show in very deed how fully He loved His earthly Mother, and yet not more than  His heavenly FATHER; and how He offers up His human filial love as a sacrifice to the work of GOD, which He accomplishes. 

     Now see how, with the help of these considerations, are explained these deeds of CHRIST, which at first appeared so difficult of comprehension? 

     The Mother of JESUS requires that He should miraculously turn water into wine at a marriage-feast.  But miracles were destined not for the gratification of mother, but for the manifestation of the glory of GOD.  And therefore it behoved Him here to sacrifice the gratification of His Mother, and for the fulness of this sacrifice the very thought of His Mother, and her very name are renounced, “Woman, what have I to do with thee?”  However the hour to manifest the glory of GOD, which had not come before that sacrifice was made, arrived immediately after it, and therefore the miracle, which He seemingly refused to His Mother, is performed a moment later. 

     The Mother of JESUS and His brethren come to take Him away from the house where He is preaching divine truth to a multitude of people. They had under <222>  taken this from a good motive, deeming Him to be in danger, for His enemies had  proclaimed Him at one time mad,  at another acting  by  the power of the prince of devils, and  consulted  together to  kill Him.  But had  He submitted  to  the will of His kinsfolk, then  the work  of GOD would  have suffered,  not only because His preaching would  have been untimely interrupted, but also  because His foes would have made use of His removal by His kindred as a proof of their calumny, that He needed to be taken care of by them.  And here again was it needful for Him to sacrifice His Mother’s gratification; and this sacrifice again was a perfect holocaust, that is, the LORD offered up His whole love towards His beloved Mother, as well as even the thought and remembrance of her: “Who is My Mother?” 

     It was as if He had said, “Wherefore would you deter Me from doing the will of My heavenly FATHER, for the sake of the will of My earthly Mother?  When these two wills draw in different directions, I know, and will directly show you which of them must be followed, and with what resolution.  I resign My earthly birth and earthly kindred, as if I had forgotten it,  as if it had  never existed; I am perfectly  devoted to  the will of My heavenly FATHER, to His work, and  to  His kingdom, therein do I seek My  kinship also, if it be necessary to have it: ‘Who is My Mother or My brethren?’  Who are they?  The sons of GOD, those who believe on His Name; which <223> were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of GOD,’ [S. John i. 12, 13.] Or still more forcibly, ‘Whosoever shall do the will of GOD, the same is My brother, and My sister, and mother.’ ” [S. Mark iii. 35.] 

     Do you perceive now, O Christians, that it is not His Mother, who is worthy of every blessing, the LORD deprives of attention, but that it is us whom He here teaches truth and justice by word and by example.  Be then attentive and learn; observe and imitate. 

     Whenever parents, kinsfolk, teachers, superiors, require of you  that which is contrary to your own judgment, your inclination, your taste, but which is necessary or useful, or at least harmless,  then ought you to sacrifice your own judgment, your inclination, your taste to  the duty  of obedience.  Remember JESUS then, the Wisdom of GOD, Who was subject unto Joseph the carpenter. 

     And whenever your parents, your kindred, your neighbours require your assistance, consolation, or service at a time when you are yourselves in want, in sorrow or infirmity, then gather together your last strength, forget your own sorrow to lighten their woe, share with them your last crumb and your last drop.  Remember how JESUS amidst the tortures of the cross, cared for the comfort of His Mother. 

     But  whenever  the  unhappy  example  or  the  wishes of your parents, or kinsmen, or of those whom you <224> are bound to love and honour deter you from the fulfilment of your sacred  obligations towards GOD, draw you into unlawful deeds which disturb your peace of conscience,  which  are contrary  to  that which  is truly good,  as well as to the salvation  of your immortal souls, then  question  yourselves also, in  the words of JESUS,  “Who  is My  mother, or who  are My  brethren ?”  Remember that you  have a kinship  higher and  better than  the one on  earth,  that GOD is your FATHER,  that the Church  is your Mother, that all those that do the will of GOD, all the saints, are your brethren, or at least desire to  become your brethren; do  not degrade yourselves in the eyes of such noble kindred, do not separate yourselves from this good and  beautiful family; do ye also the will of GOD instead  of that of man,  that the LORD might also point to  you,  saying, “ Behold My mother and My brethren.”  Amen.