His mother kept all these things in her heart.

Saturday,  6/28/14

In the Gospel, after Mary and Joseph had located their twelve-year-old Jesus in the temple, they brought him back with them to Nazareth. The account ends with Luke telling us, “He was subject to them, and his mother kept all these things in her heart.”

Today we honor that heart of Mary, and in doing so, we imagine her keeping all those things in that heart. From that we might go on to considering all the long moments when we are alone with out thoughts. Shakespeare referred to such moments as “The sessions of sweet silent thought.”
    

Although we are capable of introspection, we spend little time alone with our deep thoughts. Through all our hours of sleep, and through our hours of getting through our days, we give little time to considering just who we are, and what we are doing here in the midst of eternity.

Still, like Mary, we are faced with figuring what’s it all about. And, for guidance, we could take what Mary said to Gabriel, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord. Be it done to me according to your word.”

That tells us that for those sessions of sweet silent thought we should let two considerations dominate. First we should heighten our awareness of our living and moving in God’s presence. Secondly, we should aim our thoughts at discerning what God wants us to do now.