Pondering

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

Most of the world will go about today wishing everyone a happy New Year, and that’s perfectly okay. Today is the first day of the new year, and everyone is more than welcome to wish others a happy one. However, the Catholic world will be celebrating something far more profound: the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God.

A Thought-Provoking Visit

Today’s Gospel is Luke’s telling of the Shepherds who went to find the Holy family in Bethlehem. Wouldn’t you think the reading should be from the Annunciation in Luke 1 where the angel tells Mary, “Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son … and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father … and of his kingdom there will be no end” (Luke 1:31-33)? Instead, we read of the visit of the ones who have just been told, “For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord” (Luke 2:11).

These shepherds were among the lowliest people in the land. They were poor; they were not seen as important or powerful. They were humble workers who spent their days with sheep (and honestly, they probably smelled a lot like the animals’ cave where Mary gave birth). Yet they were set apart by God to receive this news, the news of the birth of the Savior, in the city of David, the one Gabriel said would have the throne of David. These were words of rejoicing for the shepherds because David was not only Israel’s greatest king; he started out as a lowly shepherd.

Food for Thought

Can you imagine what would be going through your mind at this point if you were Mary? She’s just given birth to a baby in a cave where animals stay. She wrapped the baby in swaddling clothes meant for a lamb and laid Him in the manger from which the animals ate. Then these shepherds appeared, asking to see the baby and telling of angels heralding His birth!

All this took place in the town of Bethlehem, a town whose name means House of Bread. Jesus was literally sleeping in a food trough. He was bound in swaddling clothes, which is not what you might think. This was not the Carter’s sleep sack young mothers of today put their babies in to sleep. No, swaddling clothes were meant to wrap the pascal lamb, to keep his feet bound and his body pure for sacrifice. Mary and Jospeh were not farmers and not herders, but their visitors were. To Mary, she was doing what was necessary for her child—keeping Him warm and giving Him a place to sleep. To the shepherds, she was preparing her son for sacrifice and laying Him out as a feast, as was required of the sacrificial lamb.

Something to Think About

Mary listened to the shepherds as they “made known the message that had been told them about this child” (Luke 2:17). As she gazed down at her sleeping child, did she make the connection? Shepherds, the followers of David the great shepherd, are witnessing the beginning of the Greatest Shepherd, yet that shepherd also took on the role of the sheep, the Pascal Lamb.

Mary was a good Jewish girl. Some theologians even believe she was given to the Temple as a child, just as Solomon was. She had already been told that her child would “be great and will be called Son of the Most High” and “of his kingdom there will be no end” (Luke 1: 32, 33), so she knew He was the Messiah, destined for greatness. However, the Jewish people clearly had a different view of the Messiah than the one we have of a man hanging on a cross.

Ponderings of the Heart

Luke tells us that “Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart” (Luke 2:19). And this wasn’t the only time. At the presentation, Mary was given some heavy news. Simeon foretold, “Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted (and you yourself a sword will pierce) so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed” (Luke 2:34-35). We are told that Joseph was amazed by what he heard, but Mary never said a word.

Later, Jesus was lost and then found teaching the leaders of the Temple. Mary said nothing when Jesus asked why they would be looking for Him anywhere but His Father’s house. Instead, “his mother kept all these things in her heart” (Luke 2:51).The pieces are beginning to align for Mary, and she is becoming more aware of God’s plan for her son and for her.

Mary’s Heart and Mind

Mary spent less time talking and more time listening. She spent less time doing what she thought should be done and more time thinking about what God had planned. Pope Francis said, “Mary, the first and most perfect disciple of Jesus, the first and most perfect believer, the model of the pilgrim Church, is the one who opens the way to the Church’s motherhood and constantly sustains her maternal mission to all mankind” (Francis, Homily Of His Holiness Pope Francis On The Solemnity Of Mary, Mother Of God, XLVIIII World Day Of Peace).

Jesus Himself told us how special Mary is when a woman in the crowd said to Him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you,” and Jesus answered, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word and keep it” (Luke 11:27-28). Was Jesus saying His mother was not blessed? No! He was saying the reason she is blessed is not because she carried Jesus in her womb but because she heard His word, the word of His Father, and kept it. She kept it in the way she answered the angel, and she kept it as she reflected on the words of the shepherds, Simeon, and her Son, keeping all things in her heart.

Realizations of the Mind

We are to imitate Mary, the great model of Christianity. We are to learn from her, as the Mother of God, how we are to act and react. After Mary spent years pondering everything in her heart, she knew the will of God and was able to aid in His plan. When Jesus asked her the second most important question of her life, “O, woman, what have you to do with me? My hour has not yet come” (John 2:4), Mary knew how to answer. Just as with her first fiat, she didn’t hesitate. She had come to understand her place in Jesus’ life. She was His mother. She would do anything for Him, anything to protect Him, but she understood her mission.

There was no more wine, and Mary wanted Jesus to help. As Jesus looked intently into her eyes, speaking soul to soul, and told her his hour had not yet come, He was really asking, Do you know what this will mean? His expression read, Do you understand what will come next?

Mary’s mind raced back to the words of the angel, the strange visits from shepherds and kings, the words Simeon told her, and the day when Jesus was in His Father’s house. She recalled their many conversations around the dinner table, the times she read to Him from the Torah, and He explained to her what the words meant and how they pointed to Him. With all these things she had kept in her heart and pondered for thirty years, Mary nodded and gave the command that would set their undeterrable course as Mother and Son. This was part of her mission, and she knew her answer would forever alter the road they would travel.

A Mindful Lesson

May we all talk less and ponder more. May we all come to understand our missions and when we need to step back and let Jesus do what He must. May we all model Mary, the Mother of God, who is our Blessed Mother, too.

She kept truth safe in her mind even better than she kept flesh safe in her womb. Christ is truth, Christ is flesh; Christ as truth was in Mary’s mind, Christ as flesh in Mary’s womb; that which is in the mind is greater than what is carried in the womb. (Augustine, The Works of Saint Augustine, A Translation for the 21st Century, Sermons III On the New Testament)

Copyright 2026 Amy Schisler
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