Pondering in Her Heart

God knows what’s in my heart.…  Do I?

“And when [the shepherds] saw [the babe in the manger] they made known the saying which had been told them concerning this child; and all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.  But Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart.”  (Luke 2:17-19.)

When Jesus is a grown man, during his earthly ministry, he responds to someone who declares that his mother is blessed for having nursed him by saying, “Blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it.”  (Luke 11:28.)  This, of course, Mary also did and so she is blessed – and we can all be blessed, too.  “To keep” can mean to obey – and it can also mean to treasure or safeguard.  The Blessed Virgin Mother hears God’s will for her and she believes.  She believes in God and accepts His word as true.  (Luke 1:45.)  She willingly obeys and says yes.  To believe, credo, also means to give one’s whole heart, one’s whole self, to God’s word.  Mary also does this.  She gives her whole heart, her whole self, over to the Word of God… And the Word of God is made flesh through her.  As a mother, and as a disciple, she keeps Him treasured in her heart all the days of her life.

What is in my own heart?  If I am still and silent, will I find, deep within me, God’s Word treasured and safeguarded with love?  Or will I only find the throbbings of my own words and self-centered desires?  Do I let lust for earthly things, doubt and despair constrict my heart?  Or do I quietly accept and contemplate the wonders of God’s Presence, pondering Divine Love in my heart, keeping the Word Incarnate safe and loved in my sacred core?  To be truly blessed, I don’t need to accomplish mighty deeds that gain praise from the crowds.  I need only to be humble and receptive, quiet, open to the Majesty of His Word, willing to give myself completely to God – body, mind, heart and soul… in this moment… eternally now.