St. Vincent

Read: 2 Sm 6: 12-19 Mk 3: 31-35

“Whoever does the will of God is brother and sister and mother to me.” (Mk 3: 35)

You may have encountered folks who are insistent on diminishing Mother Mary’s importance in the plan of salvation. They deny the perpetual virginity of Mary because this Gospel passage speaks of the mother and the brothers of Jesus.

The word brother, in the Gospel, could and did signify what we mean when we say “family” or relation — at times it was stretched to include people outside even this circle.

In John 20:17-18, Jesus, when He appeared to Mary Magdalene at the Resurrection, sent her with a message to His brothers… “Mary Magdalene went to the disciples and she reported what he had said to her.”

There are no references to any son of Mary or Joseph, apart from Jesus, which was the common way for distinguishing between people (see James and John, sons of Zebedee, Mt 4:31).

But the most illuminating part of today’s reading is that Jesus raises us to the level of being His family members through our obedience to Him. He came to us to raise our human dignity to the divine dignity as children of God. See St. Paul’s letters to the Romans (8:17) and Galatians (4:7).

“Anyone who loves me will be true to my word, and my Father will love him; we will come to him and make our dwelling place with him.” (Jn 14: 21-25)

Reflection and commentary

Psalm 27:10 “Even if my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will take me in.”

St. Vincent, d. early 4th century, at Valencia, Spain; deacon of the church of Zaragossa; protomartyr of Spain; patron of wine-growers.