CHAPTER XI MARY DURING THE PUBLIC MINISTRY OF CHRIST
When from the crowd that voice was raised
That blessed the Mother of the Lord,
Not her the Son who loved her praised,
But all who heard and kept His Word.
O answer meet! to her how dear,
To her too great her crown to boast!
The meek was glad that praise to hear :
The meekest, loftiest joyed the most.
Above her soul's pure mirror crept
No mist; no doubt within her stirred :
She asked not, " Who His words hath kept
Like her, the Mother of the Word ?"
Her tender heart rejoiced to think
That all who say, " Thy Will be mine,"
Without, or with the external link,
In heart bring forth the Babe divine.
AUBREY DE VERE.
FROM Cana our Lord passed to the exercise of His Public Ministry. By the Public Ministry we The Public understand the three years of Christ's Ministry, external activity, immediately preceding His Passion, during which He " went about doing good," healing the sick, working miracles of power and compassion, teaching by parables and example, proclaiming the Fatherhood of God, gradually preparing the way for the establishment of His Kingdom upon the earth. In the Public Ministry as such Mary could have no share. The immediate, and therefore in a true sense the primary, purpose of our Lord's Mission in Palestine was to impress upon the Jews that He was the Messias—and not only the Messias, but also the Son of God. To attain this purpose it was necessary that His Mother should remain for a while in the background. Even though the Jews might come to recognise that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messias whom they were expecting, it would be a considerable step further to believe that He was of one Substance with His Father in Heaven. They knew full well that the Messias would be the Son of David; it was no longer a familiar idea that He was also the Lord from Heaven. To this idea Christ would recall His Jewish hearers, when He quoted to them, with a significance that was new to their ears, the well-remembered words of the Prophet-King: "The Lord said unto My Lord : Sit thou down upon my right hand." The Messias was David's Son; He was also David's Lord.
