Blessed Is the Womb

Gospel Reflection for Wednesday, August 5th, 2026, Memorial of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major

As he said this, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts that you sucked!” But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” Luke 11:27–28.

This interesting exchange is often misunderstood by those who wish to lower the dignity of Our Lord’s Mother. Clearly, the woman in the crowd is recognizing that the woman who gave birth to Our Lord must be exceptionally holy. This is, of course, a true statement as Our Lord would not dwell in a tabernacle that is filthy with sin. This is why the womb of the Virgin is often described as the Virgin Earth of Eden, unsullied by the sin of Adam and Eve, from which the New Adam springs forth.

This unnamed woman rightly glorifies the blessedness of the Virgin Mary in the same way that Elizabeth does, earlier in the Gospel of Luke:

And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the child leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! Luke 1:41–42.

These two instances are parallel to one another, both affirmations of the holiness of the Virgin, and prophetic in their own way. This is the context in which today’s Gospel must be read. When Our Lord says blessed rather are those… He is not taking away from the blessedness of His Mother as some would try to suggest. If that were the case, we would have a contradiction in the Gospel. How can the Holy Spirit inspire St. Elizabeth to call Mary blessed among women while Christ belittles her? There is a different answer.

Our Lord is not reducing the praise that ought to be directed at His mother; instead, He is emphasizing that belonging to His spiritual family, through incorporation into the body of Christ, is a greater blessing than being a part of Our Lord’s biological family. Blood relation is not what makes one blessed. This is certainly true of Mary. The grace of the Divine Maternity is not simply based on Mary’s blood relation to Jesus. Her greatness, and the greatness of any of the faithful, is in accord with how they hear the word of God and keep it.

Mary does this perfectly. The grace of the Divine Maternity, while certainly familial according to the flesh, is first given to Mary as a result of her great fiat, strengthened by the prevenient grace infused in her by God at her conception. Simply, Mary is the most perfect embodiment of what it means to hear the word of God and keep it. Not only did she hear the word of God from the Angel Gabriel and submit to the will of God, but she also kept the very Word of God made flesh in her womb. In this way, she far exceeds any other human person and can truly be called blessed among women.

For more from Dr. McGovern, visit his Substack at A Thomist, Dedicated to the Theological tradition of St. Thomas Aquinas. Exploring Thomas’ Spiritual Theology and topics in Christology and Mariology.