GREAT EXPECTATIONS FOR THE CELEBRATION AND COMMEMORATION OF THE BIRTH OF JESUS CHRIST ON CHRISTMAS DAY…SPIRITUAL THOUGHTS  … 5

“She Gave birth to a son, her first-born.”  Mark, 5:7

The term “first-born” did not mean that Our Lady was to bear other children according to the flesh. There was always a position of honour assigned in law to the first-born, even if there were not any other children. *

It could very well be that Luke employs the term here in view of the account which he, later on, is to give of the Blessed Mother presenting her child in the Temple as the “first-born Son”.

The other brethren of Our Lord, mentioned by Luke were not sons of Mary; they were either half brothers, sons of Joseph by a possible former marriage, ** or else, His cousins. *** Mary had no other children in the flesh.                     But,  “first-born” could mean Our Lady’s relation to other children she would have according to the Spirit.

In this sense her Divine Son called John her “son” at the foot of the Cross. Spiritually John was her “second” son. St.Paul, later on used the term “first-born” in time to parallel Our Lord’s Eternal Generation as the Only Begotten of the Father.

It was only to His Divine Son that God said:

“Thou art my Son; today I have begotten Thee, or again, I will be father to Him, and he shall be my Son. Again, when He presents the first-born to the world, he says, ‘Let all the angels of God pay Him homage.’ “ Hebrews, 1:5-6

*According to Jewish Culture, the first-born was so important that he would be the one to receive the ‘special blessing’ from the father, it even gave him the legal right of heredity.

**This information or supposition of children from Joseph’s former marriage is found NOT in the Gospel but it is found in some Apocryphal writings, which as we know is not accepted by the Church as being Inspired.

***Regards the ‘cousins’, curiously enough the word ‘cousin’ or ‘cousins’ did not exist in the Hebrew vocabulary, these relatives were accordingly termed as ‘brothers and sisters. A case in point, even we in Malta, still use the term ‘HI’ short for ‘HIJA’, which means ‘Brother’, or ‘OHT’ which means ‘Sister’. I can’t imagine having all those I address in this way to be my brothers and sisters. 

Adapted from “The Life of Christ” by Fulton Sheen.