Direct biblical statement
Luke 11:27–28
Hearing and keeping the Word
27 And it came to pass, as he spoke these things, a certain woman from the crowd, lifting up her voice, said to him: Blessed is the womb that bore thee and the paps that gave thee suck.
28 But he said: Yea rather, blessed are they who hear the word of God and keep it.
Douay–Rheims · Challoner revision · Luke 11:27–28
Why this matters
A woman blesses the womb that bore Jesus. Jesus stresses the blessedness of hearing and keeping God’s word. The response qualifies praise of biological motherhood and, read with Luke 1:38 and 1:45, also illuminates Mary’s faithful obedience.