A blessed solemnity of Mary, Mother of God! We saw in today’s Gospel how Mary “kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.” She is a woman who is silent and always reflects on the things going on around her, especially concerning Jesus.

According to the Cambridge dictionary, “reflection” means “serious and careful thought.” In the context of faith, this also means that it is done in prayer, with God, and not by ourselves. All the details about the Messiah are not revealed to Mother Mary all at once. Because of her pondering heart, she is closest to the Lord and understands Him best of all men and women.

For us who live in the modern world, this seems to be a daunting task. Everyday, when we check our phones, there are lots of things that enter our brains even without knowing it. The impulse developed is to react to those stimuli using those little emoticons we’re familiar with or to comment whatever we think or feel at the moment. There is almost no room for silence or reflection when it comes to things. We react and speak when we are prompted to do so.

But our Mother was different. She knows that it is in silence – an interior one, that God speaks to her heart. It is in those moments of prayerful silence that she understands the meanings of things from God’s eyes. This prepared her to endure the sufferings on the Cross with her Son, Jesus.

She was prepared because she had pondered on God’s truths all along. How about us? What are we reflecting or pondering on? Is it truly Lord’s, our own thinking, or the world’s thinking?

May God bless our hearts and grant us the grace to have a reflective heart. May our Mother Mary guide us and show us the beauty of prayerful silence even amid our daily lives.

Amen. + 

Marga de Jesus | OLA Social Communications