Catholic Outlook Magazine Lent & Easter Edition 2022

Mary pondered all
these things in her heart
(Luke 2:19)
BY DR LAURIE WOODS
Image: Annunciation by Ivanka Demchuk
Luke follows his description of the unexpected visit
of the Bethlehem shepherds to the newborn Jesus
with the words, “Mary pondered all these things
in her heart.” The Greek word that Luke chose for
‘ponder’ means to toss things around and compare
them in order to put the pieces together and arrive
at a satisfactory interpretation. In the culture of
ancient Israel, the heart was seen as the centre of
thought, mind and intellect. Thoughts, emotions and
impressions are carefully weighed and frequently
revisited in the process of pondering.
In the wisdom tradition of Israel, it was the wise who
stored up events, words and experiences in their
heart to reflect on them so they might learn from
them and continue to walk in the way of wisdom.
Is there a mother who does not think her baby
is special? In this case, Mary had experienced a
revelation outside herself and her own imagination
that her child was unique and in some mysterious
way the ‘Son of the Most High’. She has to take this
in and process it along with all the things that had
happened to her since she conceived. And just now
she had been visited by some shepherds who were
also acting on a revelation that this baby was to grow
and become a saviour to Israel. How could these
lowly rough diamonds be aware of her baby boy?
The unexpected arrival of the shepherds, the witness
they bore of their spiritual experience and the
testimony of their homage had a profound impact on
this young mother as her heart and mind opened to
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