From Our Seminarian

A small but interesting detail in this Sunday’s Gospel is St. Mark’s mention of Jesus’ blood relatives: “Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon?  And are not his sisters here with us?” (Mark 6:3)  That in turn raises a question for us: Who were these brothers and sisters of the Lord?  As Catholics, we have the advantage of the Church’s “magisterium,” her authoritative teaching on the Scriptures and other matters of faith and morals.  Rather than reinventing the wheel every time a question arises, we can lean on the careful inquiry and divinely-guided conclusions of the Church in earlier ages, which continue to build up and reveal more fully the saving truth of our faith. In this case, the Church has consistently taught what has been understood from the beginning, that Mary is the ever-virgin Mother of God, meaning that she had no other children than Jesus according to the flesh.  From the early Fathers of the Church, like St. Polycarp (a disciple of St. John) down to St. John Paul II in our own age, the faithful have perceived that “Mary wished to be always and in all things ‘given to God,’ living in virginity.” The reference to the “brothers” and “sisters” of Jesus in today’s Gospel, as well as in a handful of other places in the New Testament, is a translation into English of the Greek word adelphos.  (Think “Phil-adelphia”, the City of Brotherly Love.)  That word has a broader meaning that merely “full blood brother,” and includes more extended kinship like cousins, uncles, and nephews.  In fact, St. Mark later writes that two who are called “brother” (adelphos), James and Joses, were the sons of a different Mary, who was present at the Crucifixion.  (Mark 15:40) There is much more we could say about Jesus’ relatives than can fit into a single bulletin column.  I’d offer just two points, then, to close.  First, the identity of Jesus’ brothers and sisters is an example of how we can trust the settled, clear teaching of the Church even when a first, cursory glance may raise a question.  The Church’s dogmas, doctrines, and teachings are a gift, not a hindrance, which allow us to see farther and more clearly than those who will not trust in them.  Second, we need never fear to admit when we have questions about our faith and seek out answers.  The key is to trust God at the outset, trust that He has spoken the full truth in Christ and through the Church, and then proceed in confidence that He will satisfy our desire to understand more deeply, because He Himself is the Truth.  (John 14:6)  God bless, Christian