God’s Own Son: Part Two - Who are My Mother and Brothers

Despite receiving the “Immaculate Conception” promise discussed in part one of this blog series, Mary and Joseph’s life as parents was no cake walk. Jesus the perfect Son still caused His parents worry and grief. In part one I explored the early beginnings of Jesus' childhood on Earth. We move now to His earthly ministry where only Mary remained, Joseph has passed away.

When Jesus began his public ministry He was baptized in the Jordan River by John the Baptist, His cousin. (See Matthew 3:13-17) The visible symbol of the Holy Spirit descended on Him in the form of a dove. He then leaves public sight and goes out to the wilderness to prepare Himself for the ministry to come. (See Matthew 4:1-11) The Bible records what happens while He was in the wilderness fasting and praying for 40 days. The devil meets with Him to tempt and trick Him. But back home, in the village, there would have been a lot of rumors and assumptions going around. You can imagine Mary walking into a gathering and suddenly the talking stops.

At the height of His ministry Mary and Jesus’ brothers go to find Him. My assumption is they were there to talk some sense into Him. When the message is relayed to Jesus that His mother and brothers are attempting to get to Him, He surprises us by responding, “who are my mother and brothers.” (See Mark 3:32-35) The overtly compassionate Jesus does not give backstage passes to His own mother. We can’t know for sure, but knowing our Jesus, it was to shield Mary from deeper hurt.

The Catholic Church remembers and consecrates “Seven Sorrows of Mary.”

• The Prophecy of Simeon: Luke 2:35
• The Flight into Egypt: Matthew 2:13-15
• The Loss of the Child Jesus in the Temple: Luke 2:41-50
• Mary meets Jesus on the Via Dolorosa (Jesus on His way to the Cross): Luke 23:27-31
• His Crucifixion of Jesus: Matthew 27, Mark 15, Luke 23, and John 19
• Jesus’ Descent from the Cross: Matthew 27, Mark 15, Luke 23, and John 19
• The Burial of Jesus: Matthew 27, Mark 15, Luke 23, and John 19

Jesus taught us to pray to the Father alone in His name, so I do not subscribe to praying to any Saint but Jesus. I do offer a heart filled gratitude to the very real mother, who led a life of pain and anguish to bring to maturity the perfect sacrifice Lamb of God.

If you are a parent dealing with pains and wounds from rearing children, take comfort in knowing it has very little to do with your parent skills and way more to do with the burden of sin.

Happy Honeymooning!

But Jesus turning to them said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, stop weeping for me, but weep for yourselves and your children.” (Luke 23:28)