A good Jewish boy

Jesus was not only a good Hebrew boy, he was a sinless Hebrew man. This means he perfectly honored his mother (and earthly father) in fulfillment of the Law (cf. Exd 20). The hitch for us is that we have been adopted into the family of God. We are not simply Christ's slaves (cf. Rom 5-7). We are not simply his friends (Jhn 13-17). we are his very own brothers and sisters (cf. Mth 12:49, Rom 9:4, Eph 1:5, Heb 2:11, Lke 2:7, Rom 8:29, Col 1:18, etc.). As adopted children, we must learn the rules of the house. As adopted foreign babies brought into a new kingdom (cf. Col 1:13), we must learn the language and customs of our Big Brother. And, like any good Jewish boy (like the Messiah in fact), Jesus adores his mother. It's left to us to learn to follow him in this. Refusing to love Mary, to honor her and to turn to her as a mother is nothing less than a refusal to be fully conformed to the image of Christ (cf. Rom 8:29). If Christ could (and did) honor his "surrogate" father, St. Joseph, we can and must also learn to honor our "surrogate" mother, our Lady, the Virgin Mary (cf. Jhn 19:26-27).

Thank God the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Churches still uphold this sacred family privilege! Amen!