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Before father and mother be ashamed of immorality, before
master and mistress, of falsehood [Taken from SIRACH 41:15]
Beloved of his people, dear to his Maker, dedicated from his
mother's womb, Consecrated to the LORD as a prophet, was Samuel,
the judge and priest. At God's word he established the kingdom and
anointed princes to rule the people. [SIRACH 46:13]
And now, bless the God of all, who has done wondrous things on
earth; Who fosters men's growth from their mother's womb, and
fashions them according to his will! [SIRACH 50:22]
Then I went to the prophetess and she conceived and bore a son. The LORD said to me: Name him
Maher-shalal-hash-baz, for before the child knows how to call his father or mother by name, the wealth of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria shall be carried off by the king of Assyria.
[ISA 8:3-4]
Hear me, O coastlands, listen, O distant peoples. The
LORD called me from birth, from my mother's womb he gave me
my name. He made of me a sharp-edged sword and concealed me
in the shadow of his arm. He made me a polished
arrow, in his quiver he hid me. You are my servant, he said
to me, Israel, through whom I show my glory. Though I thought
I had toiled in vain, and for nothing, uselessly, spent my
strength, Yet my reward is with the LORD, my recompense
is with my God. For now the LORD has spoken who formed me as
his servant from the womb, That Jacob may be brought back to
him and Israel gathered to him; And I am made glorious
in the sight of the LORD, and my God is now my strength! [ISA 49:1-5]
Can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the
child of her womb? Even should she forget, I will never forget
you. [ISA 49:15]
Thus says the LORD: Where is the bill of divorce with which I
dismissed your mother? Or to which of my creditors have I sold
you? It was for your sins that you were sold, for your crimes that
your mother was dismissed. [ISA 50:1]
Shall I bring a mother to the point of birth, and yet not let
her child be born? says the LORD; Or shall I who allow her to
conceive, yet close her womb? says your God. [ISA 66:9]
As a mother comforts her son, so will I comfort you; in
Jerusalem you shall find your comfort. [ISA 66:13]
Yes, I hear the moaning, as of a woman in travail, like the
anguish of a mother with her first child- The cry of daughter Zion
gasping, as she stretches forth her hands: "Ah, woe is me! I
sink exhausted before the slayers!" [JER 4:31]
Say to the king and to the queen mother: come down from your throne; From your heads fall your magnificent crowns. The cities of the Negeb are besieged, with no one to relieve them; All Judah is banished in universal exile.
[JER 13:18-19]
The mother of seven swoons away, gasping out her life; Her sun
sets in full day, she is disgraced, despairing. Their survivors I
will give to the sword before their enemies, says the LORD. [JER
15:9]
Woe to me, mother, that you gave me birth! a man of strife and
contention to all the land! I neither borrow nor lend, yet all
curse me. [JER 15:10]
Sing to the LORD, praise the LORD, For he has rescued
the life of the poor from the power of the wicked! Cursed be
the day on which I was born! May the day my mother gave
me birth never be blessed! Cursed be the man who brought the
news to my father, saying, "A child, a son, has
been born to you!" filling him with great joy. Let that
man be like the cities which the LORD relentlessly overthrew;
Let him hear war cries in the morning, battle alarms at
noonday, because he did not dispatch me in the womb! Then my
mother would have been my grave, her womb confining me
forever. Why did I come forth from the womb, to see sorrow
and pain, to end my days in shame? [JER 20:13-18]
For thus says the LORD: Shout with joy for
Jacob, exult at the head of the nations; proclaim your
praise and say: The LORD has delivered his people, the
remnant of Israel. Behold, I will bring them back from the
land of the north; I will gather them from the ends of the
world, with the blind and the lame in their midst, The
mothers and those with child; they shall return as an immense
throng. [JER 31:7-8]
Your mother shall be sorely put to shame, she that bore you shall be abashed; See, the last of the nations, a desert, dry and waste.
Because of the LORD'S wrath she shall be empty, and become a total desert; Everyone who passes by Babylon will be appalled and catch his breath, at all her wounds. [JER 50:12-13]
The king of Babylon hears news of them, and helpless fall his
hands; Anguish seizes him, throes like a mother's in childbirth. [JER
50:43]
They ask their mothers, "Where is the cereal?" - in
vain, As they faint away like the wounded in the streets of the
city, And breathe their last in their mothers' arms. [LAM 2:12]
Remember, O LORD, what has befallen us, look, and see our
disgrace: Our inherited lands have been turned over to strangers,
our homes to foreigners. We have become orphans, fatherless;
widowed are our mothers. The water we drink we must buy, for
our own wood we must pay. On our necks is the yoke of those who
drive us; we are worn out, but allowed no rest. [LAM 5:1-5]
When I have wreaked my fury upon you I will cease to be jealous
of you, I will be quiet and no longer vexed. Because you did not
remember what happened when you were a girl, but enraged me with
all these things, therefore in return I am bringing down your
conduct upon your head, says the Lord GOD. For did you not add
lewdness to the rest of your abominable deeds? See, everyone who
is fond of proverbs will say of you, 'Like mother, like daughter.'
Yes, you are the true daughter of the mother who spurned her
husband and children, and you are a true sister to those who
spurned their husbands and children - your mother was a Hittite
and your father an Amorite. Your elder sister was Samaria with her
daughters, living to the north of you; and your younger sister,
living to the south of you, was Sodom with her daughters. Yet not
only in their ways did you walk, and act as abominably as they
did; in a very short time you became more corrupt in all your ways
than they.
[EZEK 16:42-47]
What a lioness was your mother, a lion of lions! Among young
lions she couched to rear her whelps. [EZEK 19:2]
Your mother was like a vine planted by the
water; Fruitful and branchy was she because of the
abundant water. One strong branch she put out as a royal
scepter. Stately was her height amid the dense
foliage; Notably tall was she with her many clusters.
But she was torn up in fury and flung to the ground; The
east wind withered her up, her fruit was torn off; Then
her strong branch withered up, fire devoured it. So now she
is planted in the desert, in a land dry and parched, For fire
came out of the branch and devoured her shoots; She is now
without a strong branch, a ruler's scepter. This is a
lamentation and serves as a lamentation. [EZEK 19:10-14]
Those near you and those far off shall deride you because of
your foul reputation and your great perversity. See! the princes
of Israel, family by family, are in you only for bloodshed. Within
you, father and mother are despised; in your midst, they extort
from the resident alien; within you, they oppress orphans and
widows. What is holy to me you have spurned, and my sabbaths you
have desecrated. [EZEK 22:5-8]
Protest against your mother, protest! for she is not my
wife, and I am not her husband. Let her remove her
harlotry from before her, her adultery from between her
breasts, Or I will strip her naked, leaving her as on the day
of her birth; I will make her like the desert, reduce
her to an arid land, and slay her with thirst. I will have no
pity on her children, for they are the children of harlotry.
Yes, their mother has played the harlot; she that conceived
them has acted shamefully. "I will go after my
lovers," she said, "who give me my bread and my
water, my wool and my flax, my oil and my drink." Since
she has not known that it was I who gave her the grain,
the wine, and the oil, And her abundance of silver, and of
gold, which they used for Baal, Therefore I will take back my
grain in its time, and my wine in its season; I will
snatch away my wool and my flax, with which she covers her
nakedness. So now I will lay bare her shame before the eyes
of her lovers, and no one can deliver her out of my hand. I
will bring an end to all her joy, her feasts, her new moons,
her sabbaths, and all her solemnities. I will lay waste her vines
and fig trees, of which she said, "These are the
hire my lovers have given me"; I will turn them
into rank growth and wild beasts shall devour them. [HOSEA 2:4-7,10-14]
Put no trust in a friend, have no confidence in a
companion; Against her who lies in your bosom guard the
portals of your mouth. For the son dishonors his father, the
daughter rises up against her mother, The daughter-in-law against
her mother-in-law, and a man's enemies are those of his
household. But as for me, I will look to the LORD, I will put
my trust in God my savior; my God will hear me! [MICAH 7:5-7]
Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. When his
mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived
together, she was found with child through the Holy Spirit. Joseph
her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose
her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly. Such was his
intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a
dream and said, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to
take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit
that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and
you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from
their sins." All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had
said through the prophet: "Behold, the virgin shall be with
child and bear a son, and they shall name him
Emmanuel," which means "God is with us." When
Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him
and took his wife into his home. [MT 1:18-24]
Then Herod called the magi secretly and ascertained from them
the time of the star's appearance. He sent them to Bethlehem and
said, "Go and search diligently for the child. When you have
found him, bring me word, that I too may go and do him
homage." After their audience with the king they set out. And
behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them,
until it came and stopped over the place where the child was. They
were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house they
saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and
did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him
gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in
a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their country by
another way. When they had departed, behold, the angel of the Lord
appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Rise, take the child
and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you.
Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him."
Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night and
departed for Egypt. He stayed there until the death of Herod, that
what the Lord had said through the prophet might be fulfilled,
"Out of Egypt I called my son."
[MT 2:7-15]
When Herod had died, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared in
a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, "Rise, take the child
and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought
the child's life are dead." He rose, took the child and
his mother, and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that
Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he
was afraid to go back there. And because he had been warned in a
dream, he departed for the region of Galilee. He went and dwelt in
a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the
prophets might be fulfilled, "He shall be called a
Nazorean." [MT 2:19-23]
Jesus entered the house of Peter, and saw his mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever.
He touched her hand, the fever left her, and she rose and waited on him.
[MT 8:14-15]
[Jesus said,] "Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth. I have come to bring not peace but the sword.
For I have come to set a man 'against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and one's enemies will be those of his household.'" [Taken
from MT 10:34-36]
[Jesus said,] "Whoever loves father or mother more than me
is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than
me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up his cross and
follow after me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will
lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."
[Taken from MT 10:37-39]
While he was still speaking to the crowds, his mother and his
brothers appeared outside, wishing to speak with him. (Someone
told him, "Your mother and your brothers are standing
outside, asking to speak with you.") But he said in
reply to the one who told him, "Who is my mother? Who are my
brothers?" And stretching out his hand toward his disciples,
he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever
does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, and sister, and
mother." [MT 12:46-50] [Note: The above stresses that
observance of God's word is more important that a biological
relationship with Jesus. Some ancient languages have no word for
cousin (and other relatives) so the term "brothers" may
be used to refer to relatives other than blood brothers. The use
of this terminology does not mean that Jesus had blood brothers,
which of course he didn't since Mary is an ever virgin. For more
information on this topic, visit the Non-Catholics
section.]
He came to his native place and taught the people in their
synagogue. They were astonished and said, "Where did this man
get such wisdom and mighty deeds? Is he not the carpenter's son?
Is not his mother named Mary and his brothers James, Joseph,
Simon, and Judas? Are not his sisters all with us? Where did this
man get all this?" And they took offense at him. But Jesus
said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his
native place and in his own house." [MT 13:54-57] [Note:
Some ancient languages have no word for cousin (and other
relatives) so the terms "brothers" and
"sisters" may be used to refer to relatives other than
blood brothers and blood sisters. The use of this terminology does
not mean that Jesus had blood brothers and blood sisters, which of
course he didn't since Mary is an ever virgin. For more
information on this topic, visit the Non-Catholics
section.]
But at a birthday celebration for Herod, the daughter of
Herodias performed a dance before the guests and delighted Herod
so much that he swore to give her whatever she might ask for.
Prompted by her mother, she said, "Give me here on a platter
the head of John the Baptist." The king was distressed, but
because of his oaths and the guests who were present, he ordered
that it be given, and he had John beheaded in the prison. [MT 14:6-10]
Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and
said, "Why do your disciples break the tradition of the
elders? They do not wash (their) hands when they eat a meal."
He said to them in reply, "And why do you break the
commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? For God said,
'Honor your father and your mother,' and 'Whoever curses father or
mother shall die.' But you say, 'Whoever says to father or mother,
"Any support you might have had from me is dedicated to
God," need not honor his father.' You have nullified the word
of God for the sake of your tradition. Hypocrites, well did Isaiah
prophesy about you when he said: 'This people honors me with their
lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they
worship me, teaching as doctrines human precepts.'"
[MT 15:1-9]
When Jesus finished these words, he left Galilee and went to
the district of Judea across the Jordan. Great crowds followed
him, and he cured them there. Some Pharisees approached him, and
tested him, saying, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his
wife for any cause whatever?" He said in reply, "Have
you not read that from the beginning the Creator 'made them male
and female' and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his
father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall
become one flesh'? So they are no longer two, but one flesh.
Therefore, what God has joined together, no human being must
separate." They said to him, "Then why did Moses command
that the man give the woman a bill of divorce and dismiss
(her)?" He said to them, "Because of the hardness of
your hearts Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the
beginning it was not so. I say to you, whoever divorces his wife
(unless the marriage is unlawful) and marries another commits
adultery." [MT 19:1-9]
Now someone approached him and said, "Teacher, what good
must I do to gain eternal life?" He answered him, "Why
do you ask me about the good? There is only One who is good. If
you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments." He asked
him, "Which ones?" And Jesus replied, "'You shall
not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you
shall not bear false witness; honor your father and your mother';
and 'you shall love your neighbor as yourself.'" The young
man said to him, "All of these I have observed. What do I
still lack?" Jesus said to him, "If you wish to be
perfect, go, sell what you have and give to (the) poor, and you
will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." [MT 19:16-21]
Jesus said to them, "Amen, I say to you that you who have
followed me, in the new age, when the Son of Man is seated on his
throne of glory, will yourselves sit on twelve thrones, judging
the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has given up houses
or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands
for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times more, and
will inherit eternal life." [MT 19:28-29]
Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee approached him with her
sons and did him homage, wishing to ask him for something. He said
to her, "What do you wish?" She answered him,
"Command that these two sons of mine sit, one at your right
and the other at your left, in your kingdom." Jesus said in
reply, "You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink
the cup that I am going to drink?" They said to him, "We
can." He replied, "My cup you will indeed drink, but to
sit at my right and at my left (, this) is not mine to give but is
for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father." When
the ten heard this, they became indignant at the two brothers. But
Jesus summoned them and said, "You know that the rulers of
the Gentiles lord it over them, and the great ones make their
authority over them felt. But it shall not be so among you.
Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your
servant; whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your
slave." [MT
20:20-27]
"When you see the desolating abomination spoken of through
Daniel the prophet standing in the holy place (let the reader
understand), then those in Judea must flee to the mountains, a
person on the housetop must not go down to get things out of his
house, a person in the field must not return to get his cloak. Woe
to pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days. Pray that
your flight not be in winter or on the sabbath, for at that time
there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the
beginning of the world until now, nor ever will be. And if those
days had not been shortened, no one would be saved; but for the
sake of the elect they will be shortened." [MT 24:15-22]
His mother and his brothers arrived. Standing outside they sent
word to him and called him. A crowd seated around him told him,
"Your mother and your brothers (and your sisters) are outside
asking for you." But he said to them in reply, "Who are
my mother and (my) brothers?" And looking around at those
seated in the circle he said, "Here are my mother and my
brothers. (For) whoever does the will of God is my brother and
sister and mother." [MK 3:31-35] [Note: The above stresses
that observance of God's word is more important that a biological
relationship with Jesus. Some ancient languages have no word for
cousin (and other relatives) so the terms "brothers" and
"sisters" may
be used to refer to relatives other than blood brothers and blood
sisters. The use
of this terminology does not mean that Jesus had blood brothers or
blood sisters,
which of course he didn't since Mary is an ever virgin. For more
information on this topic, visit the Non-Catholics
section.]
While he was still speaking, people from the synagogue
official's house arrived and said, "Your daughter has died;
why trouble the teacher any longer?" Disregarding the message
that was reported, Jesus said to the synagogue official, "Do
not be afraid; just have faith." He did not allow anyone to
accompany him inside except Peter, James, and John, the brother of
James. When they arrived at the house of the synagogue official,
he caught sight of a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly.
So he went in and said to them, "Why this commotion and
weeping? The child is not dead but asleep." And they
ridiculed him. Then he put them all out. He took along the child's
father and mother and those who were with him and entered the room
where the child was. He took the child by the hand and said to
her, "Talitha koum," which means, "Little girl, I
say to you, arise!" The girl, a child of twelve, arose
immediately and walked around. (At that) they were utterly
astounded. He gave strict orders that no one should know this and
said that she should be given something to eat. [MK 5:35-43]
So the Pharisees and scribes questioned him, "Why do your
disciples not follow the tradition of the elders but instead eat a
meal with unclean hands?" He responded, "Well did Isaiah
prophesy about you hypocrites, as it is written: 'This
people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far
from me; In vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines
human precepts.' You disregard God's commandment but cling to
human tradition." He went on to say, "How well you have
set aside the commandment of God in order to uphold your
tradition! For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother,'
and 'Whoever curses father or mother shall die.' Yet you say, 'If
a person says to father or mother, "Any support you might
have had from me is qorban"' (meaning, dedicated to God), you
allow him to do nothing more for his father or mother. You nullify
the word of God in favor of your tradition that you have handed
on. And you do many such things." [MK 7:5-13]
He set out from there and went into the district of Judea (and)
across the Jordan. Again crowds gathered around him and, as was
his custom, he again taught them. The Pharisees approached and
asked, "Is it lawful for a husband to divorce his wife?"
They were testing him. He said to them in reply, "What did
Moses command you?" They replied, "Moses permitted him
to write a bill of divorce and dismiss her." But Jesus told
them, "Because of the hardness of your hearts he wrote you
this commandment. But from the beginning of creation, 'God made
them male and female. For this reason a man shall leave his father
and mother (and be joined to his wife), and the two shall become
one flesh.' So they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore
what God has joined together, no human being must separate."
In the house the disciples again questioned him about this. He
said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another
commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and
marries another, she commits adultery." [MK 10:1-12]
As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up, knelt down
before him, and asked him, "Good teacher, what must I do to
inherit eternal life?" Jesus answered him, "Why do you
call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the
commandments: 'You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery;
you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; you shall
not defraud; honor your father and your mother.'" He replied
and said to him, "Teacher, all of these I have observed from
my youth." Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him,
"You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell what you have, and
give to (the) poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then
come, follow me." [MK
10:17-21]
Jesus said, "Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has
given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or
children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the gospel who
will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age:
houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and
lands, with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come. But
many that are first will be last, and (the) last will be
first." [MK 10:29-31]
"When you see the desolating abomination standing where he
should not (let the reader understand), then those in Judea must
flee to the mountains, (and) a person on a housetop must not go
down or enter to get anything out of his house, and a person in a
field must not return to get his cloak. Woe to pregnant women and
nursing mothers in those days. Pray that this does not happen in
winter. For those times will have tribulation such as has not been
since the beginning of God's creation until now, nor ever will be.
If the Lord had not shortened those days, no one would be saved;
but for the sake of the elect whom he chose, he did shorten the
days. If anyone says to you then, 'Look, here is the Messiah!
Look, there he is!' do not believe it. False messiahs and false
prophets will arise and will perform signs and wonders in order to
mislead, if that were possible, the elect. Be watchful! I have
told it all to you beforehand." [MK 13:14-23]
Pilate was amazed that he was already dead. He summoned the
centurion and asked him if Jesus had already died. And when he
learned of it from the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph.
Having bought a linen cloth, he took him down, wrapped him in the
linen cloth and laid him in a tomb that had been hewn out of the
rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance to the tomb.
Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses watched where he was
laid. [MK 15:44-47]
When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of
James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go and anoint
[Jesus]. [Taken from MK 16:1]
But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah,
because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear
you a son, and you shall name him John. And you will have joy and
gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great
in the sight of (the) Lord. He will drink neither wine nor strong
drink. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his
mother's womb, and he will turn many of the children of Israel to
the Lord their God. He will go before him in the spirit and power
of Elijah to turn the hearts of fathers toward children and the
disobedient to the understanding of the righteous, to prepare a
people fit for the Lord." [LK 1:13-17]
During those days Mary set out and traveled to the hill country
in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of
Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's
greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled
with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said,
"Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit
of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of
my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your
greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy.
Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the
Lord would be fulfilled." [LK 1:39-45]
When the time arrived for Elizabeth to have her child she gave
birth to a son. Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord
had shown his great mercy toward her, and they rejoiced with her.
When they came on the eighth day to circumcise the child, they
were going to call him Zechariah after his father, but his mother
said in reply, "No. He will be called John." But they
answered her, "There is no one among your relatives who has
this name." So they made signs, asking his father what he
wished him to be called. He asked for a tablet and wrote,
"John is his name," and all were amazed. Immediately his
mouth was opened, his tongue freed, and he spoke blessing God.
Then fear came upon all their neighbors, and all these matters
were discussed throughout the hill country of Judea. All who heard
these things took them to heart, saying, "What, then, will
this child be?" For surely the hand of the Lord was with him.
[LK 1:57-66]
When the days were completed for their purification according
to the law of Moses, they took him up to Jerusalem to present him
to the Lord... Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was
Simeon. This man was righteous and devout, awaiting the
consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had
been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see
death before he had seen the Messiah of the Lord. He came in the
Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child
Jesus to perform the custom of the law in regard to him, he took
him into his arms and blessed God, saying: "Now, Master, you
may let your servant go in peace, according to your word, for
my eyes have seen your salvation, which you prepared in sight of
all the peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and
glory for your people Israel." The child's father and mother
were amazed at what was said about him; and Simeon blessed them
and said to Mary his mother, "Behold, this child is destined
for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that
will be contradicted (and you yourself a sword will pierce) so
that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed." [Taken from LK 2:22,25-35]
Each year his parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of
Passover, and when he was twelve years old, they went up according
to festival custom. After they had completed its days, as they
were returning, the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem, but
his parents did not know it. Thinking that he was in the caravan,
they journeyed for a day and looked for him among their relatives
and acquaintances, but not finding him, they returned to Jerusalem
to look for him. After three days they found him in the temple,
sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them and asking
them questions, and all who heard him were astounded at his
understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him, they were
astonished, and his mother said to him, "Son, why have you
done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with
great anxiety." And he said to them, "Why were you
looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's
house?" But they did not understand what he said to
them. He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was
obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her
heart. And Jesus advanced (in) wisdom and age and favor before God
and man. [LK 2:41-52]
After he left the synagogue, he entered the house of Simon.
Simon's mother-in-law was afflicted with a severe fever, and they
interceded with him about her. He stood over her, rebuked the
fever, and it left her. She got up immediately and waited on them.
[LK 4:38-39]
Soon afterward he journeyed to a city called Nain, and his
disciples and a large crowd accompanied him. As he drew near to
the gate of the city, a man who had died was being carried out,
the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. A large crowd
from the city was with her. When the Lord saw her, he was moved
with pity for her and said to her, "Do not weep." He
stepped forward and touched the coffin; at this the bearers
halted, and he said, "Young man, I tell you, arise!" The
dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his
mother. Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, exclaiming,
"A great prophet has arisen in our midst," and "God
has visited his people." This report about him spread through
the whole of Judea and in all the surrounding region. [LK 7:11-17]
Then his mother and his brothers came to him but were unable to
join him because of the crowd. He was told, "Your mother and
your brothers are standing outside and they wish to see you."
He said to them in reply, "My mother and my brothers are
those who hear the word of God and act on it." [LK 8:19-21] [Note:
The above stresses that observance of God's word is more important
that a biological relationship with Jesus. Some ancient languages
have no word for cousin (and other relatives) so the term
"brothers" may be used to refer to relatives other than
blood brothers. The use of this terminology does not mean that
Jesus had blood brothers, which of course he didn't since Mary is
an ever virgin. For more information on this topic, visit the Non-Catholics
section.]
While he was still speaking, someone from the synagogue
official's house arrived and said, "Your daughter is dead; do
not trouble the teacher any longer." On hearing this, Jesus
answered him, "Do not be afraid; just have faith and she will
be saved." When he arrived at the house he allowed no one to
enter with him except Peter and John and James, and the child's
father and mother. All were weeping and mourning for her, when he
said, "Do not weep any longer, for she is not dead, but
sleeping." And they ridiculed him, because they knew that she
was dead. But he took her by the hand and called to her,
"Child, arise!" Her breath returned and she immediately
arose. He then directed that she should be given something to eat.
Her parents were astounded, and he instructed them to tell no one
what had happened. [LK 8:49-56]
[Jesus said,] "Do you think that I have come to establish
peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. From now
on a household of five will be divided, three against two and two
against three; a father will be divided against his son and a son
against his father, a mother against her daughter and a daughter
against her mother, a mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law." [Taken from LK 12:51-53]
"If any one comes to me without hating his father and
mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own
life, he cannot be my disciple." [LK 14:26]
An official asked him this question, "Good teacher, what
must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus answered him,
"Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You
know the commandments, 'You shall not commit adultery; you shall
not kill; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness;
honor your father and your mother.'" And he replied,
"All of these I have observed from my youth." When Jesus
heard this he said to him, "There is still one thing left for
you: sell all that you have and distribute it to the poor, and you
will have a treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." [LK 18:18-22]
"When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, know that
its desolation is at hand. Then those in Judea must flee to the
mountains. Let those within the city escape from it, and let those
in the countryside not enter the city, for these days are the time
of punishment when all the scriptures are fulfilled. Woe to
pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days, for a terrible
calamity will come upon the earth and a wrathful judgment upon
this people. They will fall by the edge of the sword and be taken
as captives to all the Gentiles; and Jerusalem will be trampled
underfoot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are
fulfilled." [LK 21:20-24]
On the third day there was a wedding in Can a in Galilee, and
the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples were also
invited to the wedding. When the wine ran short, the mother of
Jesus said to him, "They have no wine." (And) Jesus said
to her, "Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has
not yet come." His mother said to the servers, "Do
whatever he tells you." Now there were six stone water jars
there for Jewish ceremonial washings, each holding twenty to
thirty gallons. Jesus told them, "Fill the jars with
water." So they filled them to the brim. Then he told them,
"Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter." So
they took it. And when the headwaiter tasted the water that had
become wine, without knowing where it came from (although the
servers who had drawn the water knew), the headwaiter called the
bridegroom and said to him, "Everyone serves good wine first,
and then when people have drunk freely, an inferior one; but you
have kept the good wine until now." Jesus did this as the
beginning of his signs in Cana in Galilee and so revealed his
glory, and his disciples began to believe in him. [JN 2:1-11]
Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a ruler of the
Jews. He came to Jesus at night and said to him,
"Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God,
for no one can do these signs that you are doing unless God is
with him." Jesus answered and said to him, "Amen, amen,
I say to you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born
from above." Nicodemus said to him, "How can a person
once grown old be born again? Surely he cannot reenter his
mother's womb and be born again, can he?" Jesus answered,
"Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can enter the kingdom of
God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of flesh
is flesh and what is born of spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed
that I told you, 'You must be born from above.' The wind blows
where it wills, and you can hear the sound it makes, but you do
not know where it comes from or where it goes; so it is with
everyone who is born of the Spirit." [JN 3:1-8]
The Jews murmured about him because he said, "I am the
bread that came down from heaven," and they said, "Is
this not Jesus, the son of Joseph? Do we not know his father and
mother? Then how can he say, 'I have come down from heaven'?"
Jesus answered and said to them, "Stop murmuring among
yourselves. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me
draw him, and I will raise him on the last day. It is written in
the prophets: 'They shall all be taught by God.' Everyone who
listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me. Not that
anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has
seen the Father. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes has
eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna
in the desert, but they died; this is the bread that comes down
from heaven so that one may eat it and not die. I am the living
bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will
live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the
life of the world." [JN 6:41-51]
Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother's
sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. When Jesus
saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to
his mother, "Woman, behold, your son." Then he said to
the disciple, "Behold, your mother." And from that hour
the disciple took her into his home. [JN 19:25-27]
Now I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel preached by
me is not of human origin. For I did not receive it from a human
being, nor was I taught it, but it came through a revelation of
Jesus Christ. For you heard of my former way of life in
Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God beyond measure and
tried to destroy it, and progressed in Judaism beyond many of my
contemporaries among my race, since I was even more a zealot for
my ancestral traditions. But when (God), who from my mother's womb
had set me apart and called me through his grace, was pleased to
reveal his Son to me, so that I might proclaim him to the
Gentiles, I did not immediately consult flesh and blood, nor
did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me;
rather, I went into Arabia and then returned to Damascus. Then
after three years I went up to Jerusalem to confer with Kephas and
remained with him for fifteen days. [GAL 1:11-18]
Tell me, you who want to be under the law, do you not listen to
the law? For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the
slave woman and the other by the freeborn woman. The son of the
slave woman was born naturally, the son of the freeborn through a
promise. Now this is an allegory. These women represent two
covenants. One was from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery;
this is Hagar. Hagar represents Sinai, a mountain in Arabia; it
corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery along
with her children. But the Jerusalem above is freeborn, and she is
our mother. For it is written: "Rejoice, you barren one
who bore no children; break forth and shout, you who were not
in labor; for more numerous are the children of the deserted
one than of her who has a husband." Now you,
brothers, like Isaac, are children of the promise. But just as
then the child of the flesh persecuted the child of the spirit, it
is the same now. But what does the scripture say? "Drive out
the slave woman and her son! For the son of the slave woman
shall not share the inheritance with the son" of
the freeborn. Therefore, brothers, we are children not of the
slave woman but of the freeborn woman. [GAL 4:21-31]
So (also) husbands should love their wives as their own bodies.
He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one hates his own
flesh but rather nourishes and cherishes it, even as Christ does
the church, because we are members of his body. "For this
reason a man shall leave (his) father and
(his) mother and be joined to his wife, and the two
shall become one flesh." This is a great mystery, but I speak
in reference to Christ and the church. [EPH 5:28-32]
Children, obey your parents (in the Lord), for this is right.
"Honor your father and mother." This is the first
commandment with a promise, "that it may go well with you and
that you may have a long life on earth." Fathers, do not
provoke your children to anger, but bring them up with the
training and instruction of the Lord.
[EPH 6:1-4]
For you yourselves know, brothers, that our reception among you
was not without effect. Rather, after we had suffered and been
insolently treated, as you know, in Philippi, we drew courage
through our God to speak to you the gospel of God with much
struggle. Our exhortation was not from delusion or impure motives,
nor did it work through deception. But as we were judged worthy by
God to be entrusted with the gospel, that is how we speak, not as
trying to please human beings, but rather God, who judges our
hearts. Nor, indeed, did we ever appear with flattering speech, as
you know, or with a pretext for greed - God is witness - nor did
we seek praise from human beings, either from you or from others,
although we were able to impose our weight as apostles of Christ.
Rather, we were gentle among you, as a nursing mother cares for
her children. With such affection for you, we were determined to
share with you not only the gospel of God, but our very selves as
well, so dearly beloved had you become to us. [1THES 2:1-8]
We know that the law is good, provided that one uses it as law,
with the understanding that law is meant not for a righteous
person but for the lawless and unruly, the godless and sinful, the
unholy and profane, those who kill their fathers or mothers,
murderers, the unchaste, practicing homosexuals, kidnapers, liars,
perjurers, and whatever else is opposed to sound teaching,
according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, with which I
have been entrusted. [1TM 1:8-11]
Similarly, (too,) women should adorn themselves with proper
conduct, with modesty and self-control, not with braided
hairstyles and gold ornaments, or pearls, or expensive clothes,
but rather, as befits women who profess reverence for God, with
good deeds. A woman must receive instruction silently and under
complete control. I do not permit a woman to teach or to have
authority over a man. She must be quiet. For Adam was formed
first, then Eve. Further, Adam was not deceived, but the woman was
deceived and transgressed. But she will be saved through
motherhood, provided women persevere in faith and love and
holiness, with self-control. [1TM 2:9-15]
Do not rebuke an older man, but appeal to him as a father.
Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger
women as sisters with complete purity.
[1TM 5:1-2]
This "Melchizedek, king of Salem and priest of God Most
High," "met Abraham as he returned from his defeat of
the kings" and "blessed him." And Abraham
apportioned to him "a tenth of everything." His name
first means righteous king, and he was also "king of
Salem," that is, king of peace. Without father, mother, or
ancestry, without beginning of days or end of life, thus made to
resemble the Son of God, he remains a priest forever. [HEB 7:1-3]
When the dragon saw that it had been thrown down to the earth,
it pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. But
the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle, so that she
could fly to her place in the desert, where, far from the serpent,
she was taken care of for a year, two years, and a half-year. The
serpent, however, spewed a torrent of water out of his mouth after
the woman to sweep her away with the current. But the earth helped
the woman and opened its mouth and swallowed the flood that the
dragon spewed out of its mouth. Then the dragon became angry with
the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her
offspring, those who keep God's commandments and bear witness to
Jesus. [RV 12:13-17]
On her forehead was written a name, which is a mystery,
"Babylon the great, the mother of harlots and of the
abominations of the earth." I saw that the woman was drunk on
the blood of the holy ones and on the blood of the witnesses to
Jesus. [Taken from RV 17:5-6]
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