Mary's Pondering Heart

"And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart." (Luke 2:19)

"He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her heart." (Luke 2:51)

The Pondering in her Heart of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, is Contemplative Prayer par excellence. The Mother of our Lord said Yes to God, accepting the Son of God into her very flesh, participating in a physical way in the act of the Incarnation. In the face of all the things that happened to her in relation to her Son, she pondered. She did not doubt. She accepted Truth as it was spoken to her and in her. And yet, she reflected and she kept all that happened in her heart.

Light comes into darkness and the first streaks of dawn are seen by those who watch for it. Mary herself is the first soul to receive the fullness of salvation offered to all open to it by her Son. As she accepts Him, lives with Him, watches Him grow in wisdom and grace, she too grows. The Truth of Who He Is dawns upon her Faith.

Mary perseveres through the difficulties that come from opposition to her Son and she is with Him, still pondering, as He experiences His Passion. Her heart embraces Hope and she holds onto that Hope in the midst of the Disciples of her Son. As a Mother, she holds all her children in her heart and stays with them as they contemplate God's call in their lives as well.

The open, receptive, pondering heart of Mary is a reminder to all of the power of Prayer to accomplish great things. The heart pierced by a sword comes to understand the meaning of Suffering, and the thoughts of many hearts are laid bare, coming to a moment of Truth when it is acknowledged that All Things are Possible with God, and that only God's Grace can sustain us.

Mary's Fiat, from the Annunciation to the Pietà, flows from her Pondering Heart. May all her children learn from her to live in accord with God's Word, that His Will may be done in us.

The Visitation

After hearing and responding to the Archangel's invitation to cooperate with God's Plan for the Coming of the Messiah, Mary immediately made ready to pay a visit to her cousin Elizabeth. The news that Elizabeth's barrenness was over brought Mary joy and she had to go to share it in person. What a lovely scene unfolds when they encounter one another! We are not told of Elizabeth's own experience of Heavenly messengers--all Luke tells about is her husband Zechariah's encounter in the Temple. But somehow she already knew about Mary and the Gift, the Presence of the Lord, secretly within her. The moment the voice of Mary reached her ears, the joy burst forth and the infant in the womb could be in that instant exactly who he was created to be, the precursor to the Bridegroom, leaping in joy.

Here it is the priesthood and the voice of prophecy, leaping in joy before the Ark of the Covenant and the Son of David Who is the Son of the Most High Present in that Ark. The Visitation highlights the wonderful Mystery of fulfillment of hopes and dreams and longings too deep for words, and the intuition of Truth deeper than awareness that has the power to remove all reproach. Elizabeth's acknowledgment of Mary's role and her blessed response to the Promise elicits from Mary a prayer of praise that highlights God's gift of Salvation. Her song is still sung each evening by the Church at prayer.

Visiting with those who have experienced the touch of God in their lives is a joy that I experience daily as a priest in a parish. Today, I visited with children in our elementary school who had witnessed the Baptism of a Second Grader at their School Mass yesterday morning. Everyone was so moved by the experience and the children were full of insights and questions. They all saw that something very special had happened to all of them as the Sacrament took place in their hearing. The young man who was baptized told our Religious Ed Director that he has he has been wanting to be baptized "for years." The fact that it worked out to happen in the presence of his classmates and of the whole School was a gift to all of us. The Second Grade teacher said, "They'll never forget it!"

When we begin to realize the power of the Sacraments and the joys that are ours in the sharing of the action of God's Spirit, we are renewed in hope. The burdens and struggles we face are lessened by the fact of our oneness in joy. God is with us. He has a Plan. Our "Yes" has already been said. Now we await the unfolding of the Mystery. God is worthy of our trust. We are blessed.

With Mary and Elizabeth, we can already taste the joy of Salvation. May our hearts be lifted by a proclamation of praise and a discovery that we are not alone.

The Solemnity of the Annunciation

I have wondered about blogging and whether it would be a good idea for me to try it out. Since I have now heard that there is something called twittering too, I decided I had better blog first and then check out whatever twittering may be.



The Annunciation is the moment when Time and Eternity met formally, utterly and in such a dramatic form that nothing has ever been the same since. Reflecting on the Annunciation in praying the Rosary, I am always struck by just how complete this Mystery is. It contains all the others "in seed." The Virginal Conception of Jesus Christ, the God-Man, the Eternal Son of the Father in the flesh is the start of everything. God did it. But human nature had a role--and still does!--in the act of saying "Yes." I believe that in spite of appearances, this has served to recreate the universe. Nothing that happens after this moment can take away the "invasion" of space and time by Eternity. And we all have a share in it.



Thank you, dear Mother Mary, for your "Yes." Pray for us now, that we may continue to respond to the grace that was given to all through the Incarnation of your Son.



For what it's worth, in this, my first act of blogging, I add my "Yes" to yours. May the Word made flesh continue to claim my heart, and may I hear the whisper of the Spirit laying claim to my humanity. May my "Yes" be clear and complete in the rest of the time allotted to me and in Eternity. Amen.