This verse is used often to posit what at first glance is a rebuke of His mother by Jesus. I admit that upon considering a return to the church, it troubled me and was somewhat an obstacle to my return.
I weighed it against what I knew as a Catholic and read and prayed over it many times and have come to understand what Jesus is saying here. I see it now as what a current popular phrase calls a “teachable moment.”
Jesus does not rebuke his mother. Instead, He holds her up as an example for us. What does He say?
“For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven, the same is my brother, my sister and my mother.”
Do we agree that Mary in her consent to bear Jesus has in fact done the will of God?
Luke 1:38 Then Mary said, ‘Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.’
Jesus is saying that we are His brother, his sister, his mother when we do what Mary did, hear the Word of God and and accept His will in our lives.
What is our next encounter with Mary in the Bible? When she visits Elizabeth and from that visit we have her beautiful Magnificat.
My soul doth magnify the Lord.
And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
Because he hath regarded the humility of his handmaid;
for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
Because he that is mighty,
hath done great things to me;
and holy is his name.
And his mercy is from generation unto generations,
to them that fear him.
He hath shewed might in his arm:
he hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart.
He hath put down the mighty from their seat,
and hath exalted the humble.
He hath filled the hungry with good things;
and the rich he hath sent empty away.
He hath received Israel his servant,
being mindful of his mercy:
As he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his seed for ever.
This has also been called the Canticle or Song or Prayer of Mary. But, read it. Could it not also be our prayer? Mary was after all the first of the disciples of Jesus. Is it wrong to wish for ourselves to be the same as Mary? To be full of His grace? To be a bearer of Jesus? To be blessed to be called by Him and to rejoice in Him?
Do you believe that Jesus loves Mary in the way a son loves his mother? If so, why? The Bible never tells us once that Jesus loved Mary. Why? And what are we to make of that?
All Catholic doctrine regarding Mary serves two purposes.
First and foremost, everything believed and taught about Mary has a direct correlation to WHO and WHAT is Jesus.
Second, everything believed and taught about Mary is serves as an example to us of the perfect disciple.
We hear God’s word, we ponder it and we accept His will in our lives. We stay united to Jesus in all things, especially in sorrow and troubled times. Mary was there, from the beginning and stayed to witness what must have been the most horrific thing a mother will ever witness.
If we follow her example, we too will have a share of the graces and glories given her by her Son.
“upon considering a return to the church, it troubled me and was somewhat an obstacle to my return”
But that is not really logically consistent with what the Catholic Church teaches.
I don’t see that passage as Jesus rebuking his mother and brothers, but rather Jesus is saying that they are no more important than anyone else. And in fact, his followers are more important to Him.
But what should it matter if Jesus were rebuking them? If your view of Mary is that she is not raised up any higher than any other believer in Jesus? Jesus did rebuke Simon Peter.
I think you were quite right in your concern, because you recognised that the Catholic Church raises Mary up significantly higher than believers in Jesus, and virtually to deity status (there is a group of Catholics who want her named co-redeemer).
Because unless they do raise her up so, there was no reason for your concern, *however* you chose to interpret that passage. But your gut gave you concern, because in fact, they do, do that.
And there are many ultra-religious people who call themselves Catholics (maybe you think they are in error), who have little statues of Mary, and make the statues face the brown ground, so they can “send rain”, as one poster related. In Mexico they combine the image of Jesus and Mary with the images of Sun worship. It’s all intensely related (particularly in some cultures) to pagan beliefs. And yes, maybe such people are considered in error by good Catholics, who I know exist. But those people are in no way rebuked by the church. The church allows these things to go on, which are clearly in error, because they have made the judgement that they will allow pagan worship in, so they can grow the church.