To Sit at my Right Hand and at my Left

About two years ago I was reading the gospel reading when Jesus tells James and John, “you will indeed drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left, this is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father” (Matthew 20:23). Jesus says this after the mother of James and John asks Jesus if her two sons could have these two places of highest honor alongside Jesus. I wondered about the meaning of Jesus’ response to them, as well as who Jesus was referring to and why he says these two seats have already been prepared by the Father. The thought crossed my mind two years ago that it could be Mary and Joseph who held the seats to his right and left. Not thinking more about it at that time, this liturgical year as we came to this same gospel reading, what came to me was more clearer insight as to why it could indeed be Mary and Joseph.

The understanding of a kingdom and how it is structured is something that is so foreign to most of us today. Even so, there is a depth of meaning that we shouldn’t miss out on simply because we are unfamiliar with the references that Jesus uses. We must remember that in 1st century Palestine, kingdoms were the norm and so everyone understood what it meant to hold these seats of honor at the right and left of the king. For James and John’s mother to ask Jesus for her sons to hold these seats in Jesus’ Kingdom meant she was first of all proclaiming Jesus as her King. Although the kingship that she envisioned for Jesus was still of this world, she did not quite fully understand that Jesus’ Kingdom supersedes the world and is an eternal Kingship. Yet in her misunderstanding, her request actually brought the important fact of Jesus’ eternal Kingdom to the forefront. Jesus’ response teaches us about his Kingdom, but also points to the fact that there are two who sit at the right and left of him, whose places have been prepared for them by the Father. We can know that these two people must be of great esteem and honor, especially if their places beside Jesus in the eternal Kingdom were prepared for them by God.

The seats at the right and left of Jesus are important to understand in light of the structure of a kingdom. To the right and left of the king were generally the king’s closest advisors. These were exalted positions in the kingdom. These persons interceded for the people of the kingdom to the king, asking for favors for the people. Oftentimes the Queen mother held one of the seats beside the king. With this, it makes sense that Jesus’ mother and father hold these seats. Mary and Joseph were the two closest to Jesus. They spent the most time with Jesus while he was here on earth; the apostles only had 3 years with him. Also, Mary and Joseph’s lives were lived in service to the Lord as they gave their entire lives for the service of their Son, whom they knew was also their Savior. Of all the saints in heaven, the highest honor and esteem should be given to Jesus’ parents who knew him so intimately.

Jesus tells us that these two seats were prepared for not by himself, but by the Father in heaven. With Mary this points to her Immaculate Conception, which is fulfilled in her FIAT at the Annunciation. For St Joseph this points to his righteousness which is fulfilled in the moment he rose from his dream and believed what the angel had spoken to him, taking Mary and the child into his care. Although these seats were prepared for St Joseph and Mary, they still also had to willingly choose to fulfill their mission in order to take their place next to the Lord. God does not do anything to us without our willing cooperation. This is why Mary and St Joseph had to both give their free will consent to the Lord and what he was asking of them.

The Blessed Mother is the closest person that has lived on this earth to Jesus. Bone of her bone and flesh of her flesh, Jesus carries no other DNA than Mary’s and the Divine. At his conception, Jesus was housed in her womb for 9 months and after he was born, he fed at her breast. This intimate bond between Jesus and Mary was initiated by the Father through her Immaculate Conception. Jesus then rewards Mary as she stood at the foot of the cross by proclaiming Mary as the mother to all of humanity. As a final act of honor to His Mother, Mary’s body and soul was assumed into heaven by her Son. She sits next to Jesus in the heavenly Kingdom, body and soul, for all of eternity. When we know that Mary has already experienced the resurrection of the body, it reminds us of our own bodily resurrection that we all await in joyful hope for on the last day.

Mary’s closeness to the Lord should never dismiss the esteem and honor that is due to St Joseph. He too did the unthinkable by placing his trust in the Lord above all else. As he took Mary as his wife, and Jesus as his Son, Joseph went against the customs of the time and believed the messages of the Lord that he received in his dreams, instead of dismissing them. There was no proof for Joseph that what he had heard and seen in his dream was real. He had to make a decision to believe first and then the decision to do what the Lord was asking of him came thereafter. Both of these acts are very noble acts, which clearly demonstrate Joseph’s love of God. Then as Joseph stepped into this role of head of the Holy Family, he was able to provide Jesus and Mary the protection they needed in order to fulfill the mission of salvation. Joseph truly is the Protector of God in the flesh.

Both Mary and Joseph were important to the redemption of the world. Both are deemed necessary in the plan of God. Both are deemed worthy in the plan of God. With this, it makes perfect sense that they are the two that sit at the right and left of Jesus in God’s eternal Kingdom in heaven. As Mary has been assumed body and soul in heaven, we must also consider the fact that Joseph too may have been assumed body and soul into heaven. With this, Jesus’ parents would now both be living in heaven, body and soul, in full communion with their Son, while the saints in heaven and all of us are still awaiting the resurrection of our bodies on the last day. Thus Mary and St. Joseph are our most powerful intercessors! Mary as our mother and Joseph as our protector.

Jesus’ mission is not yet complete. He is still with us today in the Eucharist. His real presence comes to us by way of the bishops and priests. His Precious Body and Blood is placed in holy vessels that have been set aside and consecrated for this purpose alone. In a likewise manner, Mary and Joseph were set aside as holy vessels in which the Lord would come to this world and grow to maturity. They were both consecrated by their free will “yes” to this mission that the Lord had asked of them and the Holy Spirit dwelt in them in a most full way as a result. In the holy vessels of the mass we can see reflected these two venerated saints, Mary and Joseph, who are now seated to Jesus’ right and left. 

Just as the ciborium is hidden in the tabernacle and holds the precious Body of Jesus, Mary too lived a hidden life with the precious Jesus in her womb. Just as the montrance is placed on the altar and holds up the Body of Christ for all to adore, so too Mary held up Jesus in prayer as he went out on mission to reveal God’s presence to the world. Just as the paten holds the crucified Christ at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, so too Mary held the dead body of her son when he was brought down from the cross. Each of the sacred vessels that hold the precious Body of Jesus can be likened to Mary, our Blessed Mother, who was intimately united to her Son while on this earth in a physical way, and will forever be united to him, body and soul in heaven for all of eternity. This is the seat of Mary, beside Christ the King in heaven.

St. Joseph can be likened to the holy vessel of the chalice, which holds the precious Blood of Jesus. In Jewish tradition, the blood of a person was looked upon as being the life of that person. With Joseph’s FIAT he took on the role of protecting Jesus’ very life. It is the chalice that holds the sacrificial lifeblood of Jesus at mass and similarly St Joseph held the life of Jesus in his care. We know of one particular instance of this with the Flight to Egypt, but I would dare to say there were numerous times when Joseph protected Jesus’ very life. Josephs role now from heaven is Patron of the Universal Church. St Joseph intercedes for the Church and protects her in her mission that has been handed on to her from Christ.

While the Holy Family holds a dear place in my heart, reflecting on this gospel passage has really helped me to keep Jesus, Mary and Joseph at the center of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. When I look upon the altar and see the sacred vessels that hold the precious Body and Blood of Jesus, I am reminded of Mary and Joseph who held our dear Lord in their arms. When I kneel before the tabernacle, I am reminded of our Blessed Mother who held within her womb the very life of God. Our reverence to these sacred vessels is in no way idolatry, but instead a call to reverence and an honoring of all that touches our Lord and Savior.