Luke 11:27-28 “in a snailshell”
Saturday of the Twenty-Seventh Week in Ordinary Time
©️2021 Gloria M. Chang
“Bles-sed” is pronounced in two syllables in this couplet.
While he was speaking, a woman from the crowd called out and said to him, “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.”
Luke 11:27-28
Hear and Obey
The Blessed Virgin Mary is the first of all those who “hear the word of God and observe it.” Hearing and obeying go hand in hand in Biblical tradition, from Abraham and Moses to the prophets and Jesus Christ:
…Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.
Genesis 26:5 (RSV)
Observe and obey all these words which I command you, that it may go well with you and your children after you forever, when you do what is good and right in the sight of the Lord your God.
Deuteronomy 12:28 (NKJV)
But as for the seed that fell on rich soil, they are the ones who, when they have heard the word, embrace it with a generous and good heart, and bear fruit through perseverance.
Luke 8:15 (NABRE)
The Hebrew word pair, shamar (to keep, observe, obey) and shama (to hear), in Deuteronomy 12:28 is translated as katechó (to hold fast) and akouó (to hear) in the Greek Septuagint version. The same Greek pair appears in Luke 8:15.
The Greek word phulassó (to guard, watch) translates the Hebrew word shamar (to keep, observe, obey) in Genesis 26:5. In turn, the Greek pair, akouó (to hear) and phulassó (to guard, watch), appears in Luke 11:28.
The multiplicity of English translations and variable Greek translations for “hear and obey” can be simplified by returning to the original Hebrew word pair, shamar and shama.
The Shema Prayer
The first part of the Shema (“hear”) prayer from Deuteronomy 6:4-5 shaped the daily life of Jesus and Mary:
Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone! Therefore, you shall love the Lord, your God, with your whole heart, and with your whole being, and with your whole strength.
In a conversation with a scribe, Jesus taught that the Shema is intertwined with the command, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18; Mark 12:31).
To hear is to obey, and to obey is to love. By nurturing the word in the heart, we become like the Blessed Virgin Mary carrying the Word in her womb and bringing the divine life within to fruition.
Blessed children of the Blessed Mother
Hear and keep the word of Christ their brother.
Traditional Chinese Translation
《真正的有福》
有福母親的有福孩子們
聆聽並遵行他們兄弟基督的話。
Related posts:
The Parable of the Sower
The Parable of the Sower Explained
Prayer to the Sower
The Greatest Commandment
The Hallmark of Christ’s Family
As the Franciscans say: “Christianity isn’t an abstract philosophy. It’s a complete way of life.” I love the way you remind us of that in your reflection. Thank you, GMC.