“And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.”
Each time I hear this phrase in scripture I wonder at what
Mary did keep in her heart. I try to
image how a young girl in her times reacted to these astonishing things that
were happening to her.
The appearance of an angel!
Hearing who sent the angel!
The angel’s message!
The astonishing news about her cousin Elizabeth!
And now while pregnant, after making an arduous trip to
Bethlehem; she gives birth to her son in a stable. All these things have to be
playing on her mind and in her heart.
Here is her child, the one who is to lead his people, Israel, arriving
under less than glorious conditions.
Mary may have been asking herself, “What next, Lord?”
And what was next were the shepherds.
Shepherds arriving at the stable had to be remarkable in of
itself. Shepherds, by virtue of their
lifestyles, rarely came into town. Their
lives were spent in the hills and meadows tending their sheep; protecting them
from predators and their own lack of good judgement (more on sheep at another
time). The shepherds couldn’t just leave
their flocks alone in the hills, so in all likelihood they arrived with their
sheep. A visual wonder with an
overpowering odor and noise for Mary to reflect on.
And these shepherds bring Mary the news of what was told to
them by the angel and all that they had seen and heard. This too she kept in her heart as she
contemplated the child in her arms; nursing at her breast.
I like to think on the strength of Mary and her calm acceptance of all these amazing
things happening to this young girl chosen by God to bring Emmanuel, God-with-us,
into the world. Only the most perfect
Mother of God could calmly live these experiences without doubts, fears or
hesitations – accepting all these things, reflecting on them in her heart:
remembering what had been told her by the angel – accepting the truth of God
with complete faith and love.
Peace,
Deacon Don
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