A woman in the crowd praises Jesus' mother. Jesus responds with something unexpected. And it turns out to be good news for every one of us.
In today's installment of A Word of Hope, Fr. Peter Lewitzky reflects on the short but striking Gospel for Saturday of the 27th Week in Ordinary Time (Luke 11:27–28). When a woman cries out, "Blessed is the womb that carried you," we Catholics might expect Jesus to affirm it wholeheartedly. Instead He replies, "Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it."
Why? Because what makes Mary a saint is not simply her biological relationship to Jesus, beautiful as that is, but her spiritual relationship: what she heard at the Annunciation and affirmed with "Let it be done to me according to your word." And that attitude is not limited to her.
Jesus didn't come to establish a physical bloodline. Closeness to Him comes through adoption into His family in Baptism, when the priest touches the ears and says "Ephphatha, be opened," that we may hear the word of God. Hearing God's voice isn't the privilege of a few. It's a free gift offered to all. And when Jesus says "Blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it," He's talking about you and me.
⏱️ TIMELINE
0:05 – Welcome to A Word of Hope
0:13 – Saturday of the 27th Week in Ordinary Time: Luke's Gospel
0:26 – "Blessed is the womb that carried you"
0:39 – Echoes of Elizabeth: "Blessed are you among women"
0:50 – What we'd expect Jesus to say
1:06 – "Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it"
1:13 – Why this is good news for the rest of us
1:25 – What really makes Mary a saint
1:49 – "Let it be done to me according to your word"
2:04 – Jesus didn't come to establish a bloodline
2:17 – Adoption into God's family through Baptism
2:29 – Ephphatha: "Be opened"
2:46 – Hearing God's voice is a grace for all
3:12 – He's talking about you and me
📍 Recorded at St. Thomas Aquinas House, Lafayette, Indiana
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📖 Today's Gospel: Luke 11:27–28
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