Commentary on the Gospel of
Fetomaternal Microchimerism
The “Human Placenta Project” has only begun to unravel for us amazing facts about human life in the womb. The phenomenon of fetomaternal microchimerism informs us that not only does the mother provide resources for the prenatal baby, but some fetal cells from the baby pass through the placenta and enter mother’s circulation and become integrated with the mother’s body and continue to function within the mother even after childbirth. In other words, there is an ongoing relatedness between mother and the child at the intercellular level, each carrying the other! Imagine what it implies for the Incarnation: That Mary carried the imprint of Christ at the cellular level within her throughout. The woman in today’s gospel is right: Blessed indeed was Mary who conceived, gave birth, and nursed Jesus! But as Jesus remarks, we are blessed too: Given that in Incarnation God has eternally entered humanity at the cellular level, we can anytime activate this belonging by listening to the word of God and doing it.
