♔ A FAMILY AFFAIR - THE "BROTHERS" OF THE LORD ♔

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Soon after the birth of Our Lord, St. Joseph set out to register his family according to the census of Caesar Augustus.  Joseph would have the honour of pronouncing the names of his Blessed Spouse Mary as well as his own saintly name, but most importantly the Most Holy Name of Jesus. To Joseph no name would be sweeter than that of his most treasured gift, his only son. 

“BROTHERS” OF THE LORD

So who are these “brothers” of the Lord mentioned in the Gospel of St. Matthew and in the Acts of the Apostles? In Chapter 5 the issue of the celibacy of Our Lady and St. Joseph was discussed, so where do these “brothers” fit in?

 

While He was still speaking to the crowds, His mother and His brothers appeared outside, wishing to speak with Him. - St. Matthew 12:46

 

All these devoted themselves with one accord to prayer, together with some women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and His brothers. - Acts 1:14

In the Roman Catholic Church, Mary is known as the “Blessed Virgin” and when referring to her as such, we are affirming our belief that she was a virgin before the birth of Christ as well as after – throughout the rest of her life. St. Joseph is also seen as virginal and is referred to as Mary’s “Most Chaste Spouse”. There are those who believe that our Holy Couple later had children whom Scripture refers to as the “brethren of the Lord.”  In the New Testament, the “brothers” and “sisters” of the Lord are mentioned in the following places: St. Matthew 12:46-50 & 13:55-56, St. Mark 3:31-34, St. Luke 8:19-21, St. John 2:12 & 7:3 and Acts of the Apostles1:14.

In the Bible the word “brother” (“adelphos” in Greek) has a wide range of meanings and does not only mean a literal brother, but casts it’s net over a wide range of meanings. The Old Testament shows us that the word “brother” or “kinsmen” could refer to any male relative who has not fathered you as well as cousins, other kinsmen, friends, allies etc... A few examples are listed below:

Genesis 14:14  Lot is referred to as Abraham's "brother" though in actuality he was Abraham's nephew.

Genesis 29:15  Jacob is called the "brother" of his uncle Laban.

1 Chronicles 23:22  Cis and Eleazar were the sons of Mahli. Kis had sons of his own, but Eleazar had only daughters. These daughters married their "brethren," the sons of Kish. These "brethren" were really their cousins, not their biological brothers.

Jeremiah 34:9  Jeremiah refers to not keeping fellow Jews as slaves. These slaves are referred to as "brothers".

  

ANNUNCIATION TO A PERPETUAL VIRGIN

At the Annunciation to Mary in the New Testament, when the Archangel Gabriel announced to her that she would conceive a son, she asked him in all humility:

 “How shall this happen since I do not know man?”

- St. Luke 1:34

Her question tells us that she had made a vow of virginity - even in marriage.  If she hadn’t made this vow, she would have taken the angel’s words to mean that she and Joseph would produce a son and wouldn’t have had to ask how this would come about, since it is customary to consummate the marriage and bare children. Though she and St. Joseph were a couple, she told the angel that she did not “know man” (not be having sexual intercourse with Joseph). There would be no reason for her to state that she was a virgin, since naturally she would have given her virginity to her husband to conceive this son, of whom the angel was speaking.

FAMILY PASSOVER

Another example that could support the only-child story is shown to us in the Gospel of St. Luke. In this Gospel, we are told about an event in the late childhood of Jesus:

And His parents were wont to go every year to Jerusalem at the Feast of the Passover. And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast. And after they had fulfilled the days, when they were returning, the boy Jesus remained in Jerusalem, and His parents did not know it. ... And it came to pass that after three days, that they found Him in the temple ... - St. Luke 2:41-47

In this account, Jesus is almost a man in the eyes of the law, for thirteen is the age at which a Jewish boy reaches manhood. Joseph and Mary had now been husband and wife for twelve years, and yet Jesus is their only child mentioned. Surely if they had not made a vow of chastity, they would have had other children besides Jesus by then. The “brothers and sisters” of Christ would have been mentioned by now, and when would be more appropriate to mention them, than at a family pilgrimage to Jerusalem? Their extended family is mentioned, but no reference is made to “brothers” or “sisters” here. The Bible would have stated that “the boy Jesus was not among his brothers and sisters, nor among his relatives,” however it does not.

... it occurred to them to look for him among their relatives and acquaintances. And not finding him, they returned to Jerusalem in search of him. ... they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions ...  And his mother said to him, “Son, why hast thou done so to us? Behold, in sorrow thy father and I have been seeking Thee...”

 And He went down with them to Nazareth, and was subject to them; and his mother kept all these things carefully in her heart. And Jesus advanced in wisdom and age and grace before God and men.

- St. Luke 2:44-51

ST. JOSEPH’S KIN
  

Surely the four “brothers” of Jesus spoken of in the Bible would have been mentioned at this family event in Jerusalem, but they were not. According to early Church tradition, Joseph had a cousin named Cleophas who was also wed to the a woman named Mary. This Mary was the mother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon who are all referred to as the brothers of Jesus.

 ... his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas... 
- St. John 19:25

Is this not the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? - St. Mark 6:3

"BEHOLD THY MOTHER"

Another, more obvious example is given to us at the Crucifixion of Our Lord. It is evident that Mary had no other children because while her only Son was hanging on the cross, bruised and bleeding, he felt compelled to entrust her into the care of his beloved Apostle, John. St. Joseph died before Christ entered into public ministry, so it would be up to his children to take her in. Why would Jesus give his mother to St. John if he had brothers or sisters to take care of her? Why were his brothers and sisters not at the foot of the cross with their mother?

Are we to believe that these sons and daughters refused their mother in her hour of need? It doesn’t make sense. So, feeling responsible for His mother’s well-being, Christ gave her to his best friend to watch over. Even in the excruciating pain of his crucifixion, he cared enough to look after his mother till the very end.

When Jesus therefore, saw his mother and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold thy son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold thy mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home. ... And bowing his head, he gave up his spirit.

- St. John 19:26-30

One might argue that this example is not enough to suggest that Jesus was an only child. To be crucified was the most shameful way to die, and perhaps this is why Jesus’ so-called brothers were not at the foot of the cross with their mother. We can take note that not even his apostles were present, except of course for John the Beloved. Where were his apostles and friends? They might have been ashamed to be associated with the crucifixion scene - as would his brothers. Still, if Jesus had brothers or sisters, He would not have needed to give his mother into the care of his friend, regardless of whether or not they were at the foot of the cross. Why would his brothers abandon not only him, but their mother as well? If we take the “brother” references literally, then out of four possible brothers, would not one of them support their mother? Would all four abandon her as well? Not likely.

“FIRST-BORN” ISSUE

There are some who claim that in order to be called Mary’s “first- born”, Jesus would have had a younger brother or sister. The claim is made that Christ could not be a “first-born” unless other children followed him:

... she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes...  - St. Luke 2:7

Using this as an argument shows lack of knowledge of the ways of the ancient Jewish people and how they used that term.  In Exodus 13:2 and Numbers 3:12 the child who opened the womb was the first-born and, under the Law of Moses, was to be sanctified:

“Consecrate to me every first-born that opens the womb...” - Exodus 13:2

Were the parents required to wait until a second son was born before being allowed to officially call their first son the “first-born”? Not so. The first son born of a marriage was always referred to as the “first-born”, regardless of whether or not he was an only child. Why is it so hard for us to believe that the Virgin Mary was in fact a virgin all her life? Why too is it hard to believe that St. Joseph was also chaste and virginal? God can do whatever He wants, so why is it so impossible for us to believe that He hand-crafted such pure souls as those of Joseph and Mary? Jesus Christ suffered, died and rose from the grave and after 40 days he ascended to heaven! Those are just two examples of God’s greatness and are just the tip of the ice-berg. Another hard-hitting example of God’s power: He created the universe – all which is seen and unseen! So why should this issue of virginity be so hard for many to believe? Not even the Holy Bible can contain all of God’s mysteries and what He has wrought. Why do so many people try to limit the works of God by being too proud to have faith in some of His mysterious works?

 

 "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." 

- St. Matthew 19:26

The Pieta of Our Lady and St Joseph

The image of the Pieta - the Blessed Mother holding the lifeless body of her Son Jesus - is as famous a scene as the Crucifixion itself. However, I recently stumbled upon a rare depiction which includes St Joseph in this post-crucifixion scene. We all know that St Joseph left this world before the events of Our Lord's passion, hence why he is never depicted at the Crucifixion or Pieta (etc.) No doubt St Joseph was either granted a vision of what was to come or permitted to witness it from the "Bosom of Abraham" after his departure. Regardless, here are my simple observations of this unique and powerful image:

 

The body of Our Lord Jesus, newly sacrificed for us, lays in the lap of the Eternal Father, His wounded hand resting on the Father’s knee, the Father’s fingers delicately fondling those of His only begotten Son. The Holy Spirit hovers over His bruised head – reminiscent of His baptism and of the Pentecost to come.

Our Lady, with maternal tenderness, holds the other punctured hand of her Son - her lips about to gently press upon it. Her right hand is extended outward, inviting us to take hold of it that she should bring us up to join in this adoration of Christ.

Also present is St Joseph, the Virgin-Father of the crucified Son. With paternal affection he embraces and kisses the pierced feet of Our Lord, at the same time dutifully covering them with his own humble cloak. 

The Mater Dolorosa and her Holy Spouse Joseph kiss the wounds of their beloved Son, in their moment of purest parental suffering, over what the sins of men have done to Him. They kiss His wounds in profound adoration of His body, blood, soul and divinity. They kiss His wounds, on our behalf, in thanksgiving, for “by His wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5)

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The Wedding Feast of Cana

Taken From THE WORLD'S FIRST LOVE 
by Bishop Fulton J. Sheen

Everyone is interested in a marriage. If the human heart does not have enough love in its heart, it seeks out those who are in love. The most famous marriage in history was at Cana, because Our Blessed Lord was present there.

A marriage in the East was always a time of great rejoicing. The bridegroom went to the home of the bride, and in those days it was never the bride who kept the bridegroom waiting, but rather the bridegroom, as in the parable, who kept the bride waiting. The bride was veiled, from head to foot, to symbolize her subjection as a wife. Both partners fasted the whole day before the marriage and confessed their sins in prayer as on the Day of Atonement. Ceremonies began at twilight, for it was a custom in Palestine, no less than in Greece: To bear away the bride from home at blushing shut of day.

The Cana marriage is the only occasion in Sacred Scripture where Mary, the Mother of Jesus, is mentioned before Him. It is very likely that it was one of her relatives who was being married, and possible that she was present at the wedding before Him. It is a beautiful and a consoling thought that Our Blessed Lord, Who came to teach, sacrifice, and urge us to take up our cross daily, should have begun His public life by assisting at a marriage feast.

Sometimes these Eastern marriages lasted for seven days, but in the case of the poorer people, for only two. Whatever was the case, at Cana, at some period of the entertainment the wine suddenly ran out. This was very embarrassing because of the passionate devotion of the Eastern people to hospitality, and also because of the mortification it offered to the wedded pair. It is permitted us to conjecture why the wine should have failed. This was a wine country, and it is very likely that the host laid in an abundant supply. The explanation for the deficiency is probably the fact that Our Blessed Lord did not come alone. He brought with Him His disciples, and this apparently threw a heavy burden upon the store of wine. Our Lord and His disciples had already been journeying for three days and had covered a distance of ninety miles. The disciples were thus so hungry, and so thirsty, that it was a wonder that the food did not give out as well as the wine. Since wine was a symbol of mirth and health to the people, it was important that their need be filled-as an old Hebrew proverb put it:  "Where wine Is wanting, doctors thrive."

One of the most amazing features of this marriage is that it was not the wine servant, whose business it was to service the wine, who noticed the shortage, but rather Our Blessed Mother. (She notes our needs before we ourselves feel them.) She made a very simple prayer to her Divine Son about the empty wine pots when she said: "They have no wine." Hidden in the words was not only a consciousness of the power of her Divine Son, but also an expression of her desire to remedy an awkward situation. Perhaps the Blessed Mother had already seen Our Lord work many miracles in secret-although He had not yet worked a single one in public. For if there had not already been a consciousness of the truth that He was the Son of the Omnipotent God, she would not have asked for a miracle. Some of the greatest miracles of the world have similarly been done through the influence of a mother: "The hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world." The answer of Our Blessed Lord was, "Woman what is that to me? My hour is not yet come."

Note that Our Lord said: "My hour is not yet come." Whenever Our Blessed Lord used that expression, "hour," it was in relation to His Passion and His Death. For example, the night that Judas crossed the brook of Cedron to blister His lips with a kiss, Our Lord said: "This is your hour and the powers of darkness." A few hours before, when seated at His Last Supper on earth and anticipating His Death, He said: "Father, the hour is come. Glorify Thy Son with the glory that He had with Thee before the foundations of the world were laid." Earlier, when a crowd attempted to take His Life by stoning, Scriptures say: "His hour was not yet come." Our Blessed Lord was obviously, at Calla, saying that the hour in which He was to reveal Himself had not yet come according to His Father's appointment. And yet, implicit in Mary's statement was a request that He actually begin it. Scriptures tell us: "So in Calla of Galilee, Jesus began His miracles, and made known the glory that was within Him, so that His disciples learned to believe in Him." (John 2:11.) In our own language, Our Lord was saying to His Blessed Mother: "My dear Mother, do you realize that you are asking me to proclaim my Divinity-to appear before the world as the Son of God, and to prove my Divinity by my works and my miracles? The moment that I do this, I begin the royal road to the Cross. When I am no longer known among men as the son of the carpenter, but as the Son of God, that will be my first step toward Calvary. My hour is not yet come; but would you have me anticipate it? Is it your will that I go to the Cross? If I do this, your relationship to me changes. You are now my mother. You are known everywhere in our little village, as the 'Mother of Jesus.' But if I appear now as the Saviour of men, and begin the work of Redemption, your role will change too. Once I undertake the salvation of mankind, you will not only be my mother, but you will also be the mother of everyone whom I redeem. I am the Head of humanity; as soon as I save the body of humanity you, who are the mother of the Head, become also the mother of the body. You will then be the universal mother, the new Eve, as I am the new Adam.

"To indicate the role that you will play in Redemption, I now bestow upon you that title of universal motherhood; I call you-Woman. It was to you that I referred when I said to Satan that I would put enmity between him and the Woman, between his brood of evil and your seed, Which I am. That great title of Woman I dignify you with now. And I shall dignify you with it again when my hour comes and when I am unfurled upon the Cross, like a wounded eagle. We are in this work of Redemption together. What is yours is mine. From this hour on, we are not just Mary and Jesus, we are the new Adam and the new Eve, beginning a new humanity, changing the water of sin into the wine of life. Knowing all this, my dear Mother, is it your will that I anticipate the Cross and that I go to Calvary?" Our Blessed Lord was presenting to Mary not merely the choice of asking for a miracle or not; rather He was asking if she would send Him to His death. He had made it quite plain that the world would not tolerate His Divinity-that if He turned water into wine, some day wine would be changed into blood. The answer of Mary was one of complete cooperation in the Redemption of Our Blessed Lord, as she spoke for the last time in Sacred Scripture. Turning to the wine steward she said, "Whatsoever He shall say to you, that do ye." (John 2:5.) What a magnificent valedictory! As Our Blessed Lord had said that He had come on earth to do His Father's Will, so Mary bade us do the Will of her Divine Son. "Whatsoever He shall say to you, that do ye." The water pots are filled, are brought to Our Blessed Lord, and then, in the magnificent lines of the poet, Richard Crashaw, "The unconscious waters saw their God, and blushed." The first lesson from Calla is: "Aid yourself and Heaven will aid you." Our Lord could have produced wine out of nothing, as He had made the world from nothing, but He willed that the wine servants bring their pots and fill them with water. We must not expect God to transform us without our bringing something to be transformed. In vain do we say: "O Lord, help me overcome my evil habits or let me be sober, pure, and honest." What good are these prayers unless we bring at least our own efforts? God will, indeed, make us peaceful and happy again, but only on condition that we bring the water of our own feeble efforts. We are not to remain passive, while awaiting the manifestation of God's power; there must be the indispensable gesture of our own liberty, even though it brings to God something as unspirited as the routine waters of our insipid lives! Collaboration with God is essential if we are to be.; come the sons of God.

The second lesson of Cana is that Mary intercedes to gain us what we need, without our always knowing our needs. Neither the wine steward nor the diners knew that the wine was failing; therefore, they could not ask for help. In like manner, if we do not know what our soul needs, how can we put such needs in our prayers? Often we do not know what is vital to our lives: St. James tells us that we do not ask aright, but seek to satisfy only our carnal and egotistic desires.

Surely we could go to Our Lord, as the wine steward, as the diners could have gone to Our Lord. But they did not go, and some of us would not go at all; or, if we did go, we would not always ask for the right thing. There are so few of us who know the reason for our unhappiness. We pray for wealth, to "break the bank," to win the Irish Sweepstakes; we ask for peace of mind, and then dash off to a psychoanalytic couch-when we should ask for peace of soul, be on our knees bemoaning our sins and asking pardon. So few of us know that we need God. We are at the end of our strength and even of our hope; and we do not know that we ought to be asking for Divine strength and Divine Love.

That is where devotion to Mary comes in. The people at the table did not know what they needed to maintain the joy of the marriage feast, even when the Lord was in their midst. There are many of us who would not come to Our Lord, unless we had someone who knows our needs better than we know ourselves, and who will ask Our Lord for us. This role of Mary makes her acceptable to everyone. Those at the marriage table did not need to know she was the Mother of the Son of God in order to receive the benefit of her Divine Son. But one thing is certain-no one will ever call on her without being heard, nor without being finally led to her Divine Son, Jesus Christ, for Whose Sake she alone exists-for Whose Sake she was made pure -and for Whose Sake she was given to us.

The Marriage Feast of Cana also reveals how Mary makes up for our battered and weak wills; she does this by substituting herself for us. It is very hard for us to receive a Divine Favor unless we desire it. Until we love and serve God, we are inert and dead. It is impossible for most of us to ask for a soul-healing, for so few of us know that we are wounded. Mary comes into this crisis of life, to substitute for us in the same way that a mother substitutes for a sick child. The child cannot tell the mother its need. There may be a pin pricking it, it may be hungry, or it may be sick. The child may cry, but it is as vague a complaint as our own adult cries when we are unhappy and fearful, worried and frustrated. The mother in such a circumstance carries the child to the doctor. The mother thus puts herself in the place of the child, who does not have the knowledge to know what is best for it, or cannot will to do anything to help itself. She "doubles," as it were, for the freedom of the child. Thus does the mother dispose the child to receive what is best for it. And as the mother knows the needs better than the babe, so the Blessed Mother understands our cries and worries, and knows them better than we know ourselves. As the baby needs the doctor, so the Blessed Mother knows we need her Divine Son. As Our Lord mediates between us and the Heavenly Father, so the Blessed Mother mediates between us and Our Divine Lord. She fills our empty pots, she supplies the elixir of life, she prevents the joys of life from ebbing away. Mary is not our salvation-let us not be absurd on that. The mother is not the doctor, and neither is Mary the Saviour. But Mary brings us to the Saviour! 

Three years now pass, and all that Our Blessed Lord told His Mother at Cana is fulfilled. The hour is come, the wine has changed to blood. He has worked His miracles and men have crucified Him. Unfurled on either side of Him, as if to put Him in their class, are two thieves. The world will allow only the mediocre to live. It hates the very wicked, like the thieves, because they disturb its possessions and security. It also hates the Divinely Good, it hates Our Blessed Lord, because He disturbs its conscience, its heart, and its evil desires.

Our Blessed Lord now looks down from His Cross to the two most beloved creatures that He has on earth, John and His Blessed Mother. He picks up the refrain of Cana, and addresses Our Blessed Mother with the same title He gave her at the marriage feast. He calls her, "Woman." It is the second Annunciation. With a gesture of His dust- filled eyes and His thorn-crowned head, He looks longingly at her, who had sent Him willingly to the Cross, who is now standing beneath it as a cooperator in His Redemption and He says: "Behold thy son." Then, turning to John, He does not call hin1 John; to do that would have been to address hin1 as the son of Zebedee and no one else. But, in his anonymity, John stands for all of us-Our Lord thus says to His beloved disciple: "Son, behold thy mother."

Here is the answer, after all these years, to the mysterious words in the Gospel of the Incarnation which stated that Our Blessed Mother laid her "first born" in the manger. Did that mean that Our Blessed Mother was to have other children? It certainly did, but not according to the flesh. Our Divine Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is the only Son of Our Blessed Mother by the flesh. But Our Lady was to have other children, not according to the flesh, but according to the spirit!