Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts at which you nursed. He replied, “Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.”

A lot of people read this passage and think that Jesus is rebuking the woman and insulting his mother. But as with all things that Jesus does and says, He has a much higher goal…, a goal that sets our sights on God in Heaven and not of the things of this world. If we get stuck in the things of this world, we will not see the point of Jesus’ teachings.  Jesus taught that we must “hear the word of God and observe it.” That is the real purpose of jesus’ life and what He came here to teach us.

The woman, for her part, is trying to recognize Mary for her role in bringing Jesus to us, and there is nothing wrong with praising Mary. But Jesus is telling her (and us) that there will be time for that after He is gone. But for now we must focus on the teachings that He is giving us, so that we can all find our way to Heaven as well. Jesus though does not want us focusing on the things of this world, and the people of this world, because it is all fallen. Instead, He is redirecting our attention to the goodness of God in heaven.

The world is a gift from God the Father, given in love for our comfort and sustenance, but it will not fulfill all our needs. Our greatest need can only be satisfied by aligning our will with God’s will for our lives. As St. Augustine said: “our hearts are restless Lord, until they rest in Thee.” The people of this world are full of potential, and they are all made beautifully in God’s image, but they will all invariably disappoint, and fall short of the glory of god. Only God in heaven can give us all that we need, and only God is completely trustworthy and will never let us down. So we must raise the bar, and set our sights higher than just this world.

Oh lord, help me today to look to you for all things.