In reflecting on the readings from Ecclus 24:14-16 and Luke 11:27-28, particularly within the context of the Saturday after the 19th Sunday after Pentecost, we encounter profound insights into the wisdom and blessedness associated with the Mother of God, as well as the proper understanding of blessedness itself, as Christ redefines it.
Ecclus 24:14-16: Mary as the Seat of Wisdom
The passage from Ecclesiasticus (also known as Sirach) speaks of Wisdom, personified, saying:
“I was exalted like a cedar in Libanus, and as a cypress tree on Mount Sion. I was exalted like a palm tree in Cades, and as a rose plant in Jericho. I was raised up like a fair olive tree in the plains, and as a plane tree by the water in the streets. I gave a sweet smell like cinnamon and aromatical balm…”The Church Fathers have often interpreted this passage as a mystical foreshadowing of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the true Sedes Sapientiae (Seat of Wisdom). St. Bernard of Clairvaux, for instance, writes that Mary is the “fragrant rose of Jericho,” whose virtues and beauty have spread the sweetness of divine grace throughout the world. Her exaltation, much like the images of the cedar, palm, and olive tree, points to the special place she holds in salvation history as the one who brought forth the Incarnate Word.
St. Bonaventure, in his Psalter of the Blessed Virgin Mary, reflects on her as the one in whom the fullness of Wisdom rests: “Behold Mary, whose fruit is sweet, as aromatic balm, nourishing as the olive tree, and as pure as the lily in the streets.” Her entire life, from her Immaculate Conception to her Assumption, is an example of how the Wisdom of God manifested through her perfect obedience and purity.
Luke 11:27-28: The Redefinition of Blessedness
In Luke 11:27-28, we hear a woman from the crowd cry out:
“Blessed is the womb that bore thee, and the breasts that nursed thee!”To which Jesus responds:
“Yea rather, blessed are they who hear the word of God and keep it.”
At first glance, this response of Christ may seem to diminish the praise given to His Mother. However, as St. Augustine explains, Christ is not rejecting the blessedness of Mary; rather, He is elevating the concept of blessedness itself. St. Augustine writes:
“Did the Lord deny His Mother? No, rather He corrected the woman’s idea of blessedness, saying, ‘My Mother is indeed blessed because she bore me, but more blessed because she heard the word of God and kept it’” (Sermon 25).Thus, the blessedness of Mary is not merely in her physical maternity, though it is a great honor, but in her perfect submission to the will of God. She is the first and most perfect disciple, having heard the word of God at the Annunciation and kept it all her life. The Church Fathers emphasize that her “Yes” to God’s plan was the beginning of the New Covenant, making her truly the model of all who seek to live in accordance with God’s Word.
Mary, the Exemplar of Hearing and Keeping the Word
Pope St. Leo the Great speaks of Mary as the one who “conceived Christ in her heart before she conceived Him in her womb” (Sermon 25). Her interior fidelity to God’s Word, which she cherished and pondered in her heart, is the ultimate form of blessedness that Christ highlights in His response to the woman in the crowd.
St. John Chrysostom echoes this by stating that Mary’s example shows us that it is not only the physical proximity to Christ that brings true blessedness, but the internal and spiritual adherence to His teachings. He writes:
“It is of no profit to bear Christ in the womb if one does not bear Him in the heart by faith” (Homilies on the Gospel of Matthew).Thus, Mary becomes for us not only the Mother of God, but also the exemplar of the Christian life. She is the living embodiment of Ecclesiasticus’ description of Wisdom, flourishing like a majestic tree, spreading the fragrance of grace, and most importantly, hearing and keeping the Word of God.
Conclusion: The Path of Blessedness
In conclusion, as we meditate on these readings in the spirit of the Saturday after the 19th Sunday after Pentecost, we are invited to follow the path of Mary, the true Seat of Wisdom. Her blessedness is not confined to her role as Mother of God, but extends to her perfect discipleship, her complete surrender to God’s will. This is the path to which we are all called: to hear the word of God, to keep it, and to allow it to bear fruit in our lives, as the wisdom of God did in Mary.
May we seek to cultivate that same wisdom in our hearts, and imitate the virtues of Our Lady, who was exalted in her humility, bearing the sweetest fragrance of holiness to the world.