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’s author was crediting Jesus’ mother for having such a charismatic wonder-worker as a son. It was a statement made to regale Mary for what Jesus had turned out to be. It was a statement that, were Jesus’ mother been in the crowd, would have filled her with pride. It is perhaps this last observation that elicited Jesus’ response: “Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.”
While Jesus would definitely have wanted his mother to have this special moment and savor it, he at the same time did not want this one moment to steal the show. He did not want those who had gathered to listen to him to lose their focus. It was definitely true that the Blessed Mary had done a good job in how she raised Jesus, but it was not all about her. Had she not said to the Lord that “I am your servant; let it be done unto me as you wish?” (cf. Luke 1:38). Mary had achieved whatever she was being credited for, not of her own accord, but because she heard the word of the Lord and observed it. If I were to paraphrase Jesus’ response, it would be thus: “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 the salvation of the universe. He did recognize his mother’s unique contribution, but at the same time, he 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. Those who were listening to him were also in the same position as Mary, for they too were listening to God’s messenger speak 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 I am to the Word of God? Am I ready to cooperate with the word of God for the salvation of the peoples?