“Blessed is the womb that carried you 

and the breasts at which you nursed.”

 Luke 11:27

Blessed is the Womb that Carried You

As a first insight, these two verses are unique to Luke. To think that they are somehow deprecatory of Mary — since she seems to be the unnamed target of Jesus’ remark — is not possible. This is simply because the Gospel according to St. Luke as a whole is strongly Marian. It would be unthinkable that two verses will undo its entire spirit. Then, aside from this, it should be pointed out that there is a somewhat mistaken sense in the statement, brought about (as is often the case) by inaccurate translation. The bone of contention is the word “rather.” A quick check with the original Greek term, menoun, makes us realize that it should be better rendered with the sense “yes, but even more…”

In other words, it is not at all a negative statement against Mary, the mother of Jesus. It is an affirmation of her motherhood but at the same time it opens up to the greater possibility of “surpassing” blood or maternal ties in the truly greater level of fulfilling God’s Word in one’s life. (Kerygma)

EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE

EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE

"For with God 

nothing will be impossible."

Luke 1:37

When the angel Gabriel reveals to the Virgin Mary that she would become the mother of the Savior of the world, she asks how can this come about. Mary, it seems, had made a vow to remain a virgin even though married to Joseph, so she could not see how God would want her to break this solemn promise. God however honors her vow of virginity and brings about Jesus’ conception not through a human agency but by the power of the Holy Spirit. What may seem impossible to us is not impossible for God, so let us not limit God to our own human perspective.

In the midst of a storm, be strong in faith for God is with you. . .

A man lost everything he had in a terrible typhoon. Distraught, he approached a monk and told him, “I lost everything!” “I’m sorry to hear you lost your faith,” the monk responded. “I did not say I lost my faith,” the man corrected. “Oh, I’m sorry then that you lost your hope,” the monk continued. “I did not lose my hope either,” the man volunteered. The monk then said, “You still have your faith. You still have your hope. Then you did not lose everything. You still have something upon which everything can be built.”

Today, we read from Luke the story of the Annunciation where the angel Gabriel announced to Mary the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy that the “the virgin shall be with child and give birth to a son, and they shall call Him ‘Emmanuel,’ a name which means ‘God is with us.’” Let us hold on to this truth. There will be times this will be challenged or will not be evident. But like Joseph and Mary, let us act on this assurance — He is Emmanuel, God with us.Fr. Joel O. Jason

MARY, MOTHER OF ALL RULERS!

Hear, O daughter, consider, and incline your ear; forget your people and your father's house; and the king will desire your beauty. Since he is your lord, bow to him; the people of Tyre will sue your favor with gifts, the richest of the people

Instead of your fathers shall be your sons; you will make them princes in all the earth.

Psalms 45: 10 - 12, 16

ARE YOU THE ACCUSER OR ACCUSED?

God's temple is shaken . . .
Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple; and there were flashes of lightning, voices, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail.

Mary is in pain . . .
And a great portent appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; she was with child and she cried out in her pangs of birth, in anguish for delivery.

Jesus, the one true ruler brings salvation . . .
Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.
Revelation 11: 19, 12: 1 - 6, 10