Friday, December 11, 2020![nativity-story-gathering[1]](https://thenoontimes.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/nativity-story-gathering1.jpg?w=400&h=236)
Luke 2:15-20
Reflections of the Heart
And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.
Pain and happiness. Amazement and worry. Wonder and joy. A gamut of emotions in such a short few days.
Joseph and the child. Shepherds and angels. Innkeepers and oxen. Extraordinary companions for such a new mother.
God says: Mary is wise to ponder all things in the heart. It is from this pondering that she gains wisdom and fortitude. It is in this abiding with me that she discovers courage and patience. It is from her love of me that she finds persistence and hope. When Mary keeps these things in her heart she hides from no one; rather, she gathers a new strength for the journey before her, a fresh perspective of the past that lies behind, and a deep reverence for the holy present. Each moment of each life is as precious as the moment you read about today. Each moment of your lives holds more love from me than you can imagine. Ponder these things in your heart. Reflect on these things in your heart. And remember me.
Mary knows that the road she travels with this special child will be as fraught with problems as her journey to Bethlehem has been. She also knows that the shepherds who arrive in the quiet darkness have sought and found her small family by knocking on many doors in their determined search. Faith, persistence, endurance and courage. As Mary greets her son’s first visitors, she ponders these things in her heart.
To view a clip of the 2006 film Nativity Story:The Birth of Christ depicting the arrival of the shepherds and wise men, go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Lpv77EdxF4
Image From: http://www.williedeutsch.com/the-hobbit-a-beautiful-story-for-christmas/
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