Today’s gospel is short and a bit salty. At least that was my initial reaction. This was not the response I expected from Jesus, who we are to trust.

My first thought was how brave the woman was to pay such public homage to the other of Jesus and all mothers. Next, I was a bit disheartened when Jesus didn’t wholeheartedly agree with the woman in the crowd but seemed to scold or correct her. This didn’t sit well with me, so I started reading some of the gospels preceding this as well some following this one. One of the gospels that follows today’s helped today’s make more sense.

Jesus agreed with the woman’s statement and took it a step further. Yes, mothers are a blessing, but his mother heard God’s calling and followed—even though this would prove to be a challenging calling.

The lesson learned from today’s readings and reflection: things are not always as they seem. Take time to look deeper when something does not make sense. Can you think of a time when your initial reaction did not feel right but after time and quiet reflection things made sense? In the busyness of our daily lives, it is important to take time, to be quiet and to listen.