For us, who are so used to speaking with the greatest respect for the Mother of Jesus, the words of Jesus today may seem somewhat strange. He was in the house, which often seems to be a symbol of the Christian community gathered together. When Jesus is told that His mother, brothers and sisters are looking for Him, He asks: "Who are my mother and brothers?" Rather, He says, those gathered around Him are His mother and brothers. And He further clarifies this by saying, "Anyone who does the will of God, that person is my brother and sister and mother." The key word in the passage is 'outside'. Those with Jesus are on the 'inside'. Relationship with Jesus is not a matter of blood but of totally identifying with His Way and His mission. We know, of course, that in fact Mary more than anyone was totally identified with her Son, from the moment of the Annunciation to the moment when she stood beneath the Cross. No one was more 'inside' than she. It is this, more than her physical relationship to Jesus, that makes her worthy of our special honour.