Hear the word of God and act on it
Esr 6,7-8.12b.14-20; Ps 121; Lk 8,19-21
24 SEPTEMBER
A man is blessed when he walks in the Law of the Lord. When one is in the Word, he dwells in it, bliss becomes every blessing. At the end of time, blessing on earth is transformed into an eternal blessing. One lives with God in his home.
How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners,
Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season
And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, But they are like chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the wicked will perish (Ps 1,1-8).
The blessedness of the Virgin Mary does not arise from her immaculate conception, not even from being she full of grace and not even from the presence of God in her life. Instead it is born of her faith. Mary is blessed because she believed in the Word of the Lord. This bliss has already been sung by Elizabeth. Mary is blessed because she believed in the fulfilment of the Word of the Lord. She is blessed for her obedience.
During those days Mary set out and travelled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, “Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled (Lk 1,39-45).
If the disciple of Jesus wants to be blessed and transform the beatitude into an eternal blessing, he must remain anchored to obedience to the Word of the Gospel, according to the truth that always comes from the Holy Spirit. The Christian obeys the Word by obeying the Holy Spirit. Neither Word without the Spirit, nor the Spirit without the Word.
Therefore, gird up the loins of your mind, live soberly, and set your hopes completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Like obedient children, do not act in compliance with the desires of your former ignorance but, as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in every aspect of your conduct, for it is written, “Be holy because I (am) holy.” Now if you invoke as Father him who judges impartially according to each one’s works, conduct yourselves with reverence during the time of your sojourning, realizing that you were ransomed from your futile conduct, handed on by your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold but with the precious blood of Christ as of a spotless unblemished lamb. He was known before the foundation of the world but revealed in the final time for you, who through him believe in God who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. Since you have purified yourselves by obedience to the truth for sincere mutual love, love one another intensely from a (pure) heart. You have been born anew, not from perishable but from imperishable seed, through the living and abiding word of God (1Pt 1,13-23).
Jesus owes full obedience to the Father. No one can interfere between Him and the Father, not even the Mother, not even one of his closest relatives. Whoever wants to be his brother and his Mother must respect his obedience to the Father. Never must he distract him from it, not even for a moment. Loving Christ is helping him in his obedience.
Then his mother and his brothers came to him but were unable to join him because of the crowd. He was told, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside and they wish to see you.” He said to them in reply, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it.”
We know that the Virgin Mary never interfered in the relationship between Jesus and the Father. Even in this obedience she was most perfect. She is the true Mother of Jesus.
Mother of God, Angels and Saints, make us obedient, always, in everything, to the Word of God.