Their race will be famous throughout the nations and their offspring throughout the peoples. Today the Church honors the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title Our Lady of Fatima. In 1917, the Blessed Virgin appeared to three shepherd children in Fatima, Portugal. In the apparition, Our Lady urged the human race to make a conversion by repenting from sin. It is a call that echoes the calls of the prophets of old as well as Jesus. Mary is honored because of her contribution to this role of the prophets of calling humanity to conversion. While Mary’s unique and unrepeatable contribution immortalizes her as a blessed (Isaiah 61:9 [First Reading]), she is given us as a model and example of faithful discipleship as today’s Gospel Reading clearly points out. Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts at which you nursed. This was a statement that could only have been made by a woman as the text rightly points out. The statement was crediting the Blessed Mary for having such a charismatic wonder-worker as a son while at the same time crediting the mother for what Jesus has turned out to be. It was a statement that, were Jesus’ mother in the crowd, would have filled her with pride. It is perhaps this last observation that elicited Jesus’ response: “You are right in saying my mother is blessed. But you should look at it this way: blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.” While Jesus would definitely have wanted his mother to have this moment, he at the same time did not want this one moment to steal the show. He did not want those listening to lose focus. Yes, Mary had done a good job in how she raised Jesus, but it was not about her: “I am your servant; let it be done unto me as you wish…” she had said (cf. Luke 1:38). Mary had achieved this, not of her own, but because she heard the word and observed it. “My mom is blessed, yes, but all that she did was something that all of you here listening can as well do,” continued Jesus, “for all that it takes to be blessed is to be a doer of God’s word. You too can be what my mother is. You too can be a bearer of the Word. But first of all you must be open to that word and do as the word says.” Jesus was not playing down the position her mother holds in the history of salvation. He did recognize her unique contribution, but at the same time offered that same opportunity to those who were gathered about him and listening to him. In a rather subtle way, he was offering her mother as an example, as someone to be imitated. They too were in the same position as Mary for they too were listening to God’s messenger speaking to them. Would they too be referred to as blessed in posterity? What about me listening to God’s word today? Will generations refer to me as blessed because of how open to the Word of God I am? Am I ready to cooperate with the word of God for the salvation of the peoples?