Mary and John the Baptist

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Greetings all–

Can someone please explain to me Matthew 11, in light of what the Church teaches about Mary?

“I tell you the truth, of all who have ever lived, none is greater than John the Baptist.”
 
From Haydock’s commentary on Matthew 11:
There hath not risen … a greater, &c. This comparison, by what we find, Luke vii. 28, is only betwixt John and the ancient prophets, to signify that John was greater than any of the prophets, at least by his office of being the immediate precursor of the Messias. The comparison cannot be extended to Christ himself, who was both God and man, nor to his blessed Virgin Mother; nor need we understand it of his apostles. (Witham)
 
Sugnaflow said:
Greetings all–

Can someone please explain to me Matthew 11, in light of what the Church teaches about Mary?

“I tell you the truth, of all who have ever lived, none is greater than John the Baptist.”
Click to expand...
Keep reading. Mary is covered next, under the Kingdom of Heaven. She is the first Christian, having received Him in her heart before He came into her womb.👍
 
Sugnaflow said:
Greetings all–

Can someone please explain to me Matthew 11, in light of what the Church teaches about Mary?

“I tell you the truth, of all who have ever lived, none is greater than John the Baptist.”
Click to expand...
At this point in the Gospel, the author made this point. That doesn’t detract in any way from May’s importance.
 
Sugnaflow said:
Greetings all–

Can someone please explain to me Matthew 11, in light of what the Church teaches about Mary?

“I tell you the truth, of all who have ever lived, none is greater than John the Baptist.”
Click to expand...
Well first of all I don’t know what translation you are using but the RSV renders this verse as follows:
Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has risen no one greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

A couple of things become clear in this. First, as others have pointed out, Jesus is talking about Prophets. The preceding passage is asking “who did you go out to see…”
Second is the part of the verse you left out in your OP…“he who is least in the kingdom…is greater than he”.

These two things place this verse in an entirely different light than just being a simple blanket statement about all persons ever born. The context basically limits to prophets of God, and the the followup statment makes it clear that greatness is measured quite different in the kingdom of Heaven than on earth.

If we consider the verse in isolation, and as you presentied it, it makes no sense at all. Was not Jesus Born of woman? Is not Jesus greater than John the Baptist?
If you answered yes to these questions then how could Jesus say that John was the greatest born of woman???🤷

Hope this helps

Peace
James
 
Just curious,
Was this question in light of some non-catholic assertion or discussion about Mary?

Peace
James
 
guanophore said:
Keep reading. Mary is covered next, under the Kingdom of Heaven. She is the first Christian, having received Him in her heart before He came into her womb.👍
Click to expand...
Not to mention she was the first one to ACTUALLY have Jesus inside of her body… so in an odd twist of thought, it struck me that when we partake of Communion, we are the temple because we are united with Christ by bringing Him physically into our body…

which is all a strange way of arriving at this: Mary was the first Eucharisted person in the world, even before the rest of the Church was given access to Communion in the Last Supper, Mary ALREADY had that bond with Christ (and moreso than anyone else in the church ever will)
 
Sugnaflow said:
Greetings all–

Can someone please explain to me Matthew 11, in light of what the Church teaches about Mary?

“I tell you the truth, of all who have ever lived, none is greater than John the Baptist.”
Click to expand...
He is talking about John the Baptist being the greatest of the Prophets.
 
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