Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, New Year’s Day
Luke 2: 16-21
The shepherds went in haste. They heard, they went and they saw and proclaimed. And Mary pondered: key actions going on in this gospel passage from Luke: hearing, obeying, seeing, pondering and announcing or proclaiming.
The shepherds are models for us. They are quick to hear and to do the things of God. They are quick to go and to worship God. Mary is already there. Mary ponders. She is reflecting on all the things that have happened to her through this child, from the time of the angel’s greeting to her, through Joseph taking her into his home, to the travels from Nazareth to Bethlehem, to the child’s birth in this stable, to now: hearing the news from the shepherds of what had been told them by the angel.
There is duration here. Mary reflects on all that has happened over a period of time, from the Angel Gabriel’s first in-breaking announcement to now, the arrival of the shepherds. Mary, too, is a model for us. As we begin a new year, what can we take from these two models? We can be in haste, too, like the shepherds, to follow the promptings of angels and to worship God. We can be like Mary in pondering what happens in our lives over a period of time – chronos or chronological time — to discern where God is in it all.
Pondering requires time, taking time. It also requires silence. Our lives are filled with noise. It involves removing ourselves from the noise to be able to listen.
In this new year, this new decade, let us make haste to be silent and to ponder as Mary did, even for only five minutes per day, twice a day: to listen to look over the duration – chronos — or a half day to see where the angels and God may be speaking – kairos – for all time belongs to God as we hear in the Easter Vigil when we mark the new pascal candle.
The shepherds represent us, the little people. This weekend, on Epiphany, the big people, The Three Kings, arrive! Whether we are big or small, we belong to God, and we are called to ponder and to worship and adore. Ask Mary for help. Ask her to intercede for you and your family to help you ponder the things that ‘come to pass’ in your lives, in our lives: to ponder and to worship as the shepherds did. Yes, she is the Mother of God. She is also our mother and she wants to help. Ask her!