Ponderous Thoughts
“Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart.” –Luke 2:19
Three and a half years ago, I began one of my first Chimes articles with that verse, and have taken the name of this little “column” from it. It is one of my favorites, I think because it speaks to an active sort of prayer, kind of a dialogue with God. So often we think of prayer as passive, something we do, a request or thanks that we sort of send out into the ether and don’t really know if our prayers are going anywhere. We aren’t certain that God hears us. We’re not sure that God answers our prayers.
But Mary knew that God still spoke in her time, and I believe God still speaks today. God spoke in the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ, and God speaks through faithful people who seek to live out an active, growing, life-changing relationship with God. That’s where Mary’s pondering, and ours, comes in.
Pondering is more than just thinking something over…to ponder is to think deeply and meditatively, to thoroughly consider. Pondering is active, something we do with intent as we seek to know God better, to understand what the gift of Jesus Christ means in our lives, as we learn to sense the Holy Spirit in us. Pondering leads us to do something…to participate in the work of Christ in the world around us, to take part in making the Kingdom of Heaven real here and now.
I invite you to take some time in the coming days to ponder what you might be led to do.
Christmas blessings,
Anne
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