An angel of the Lord had appeared to the shepherds proclaiming the birth of the Savior, who is Christ the Lord. Suddenly there was a multitude of heavenly hosts praising God…filling the nighttime sky with a glorious spectacle. The shepherds immediately journeyed to Bethlehem, found the baby Jesus, and bore testimony to what they saw and heard out on the mountain side. Mary listened to it all, marveling & reflecting on what the angel had told her months before. Later, when Jesus was twelve, the family traveled to Jerusalem for the Passover and when it was time to go home, they unwittily left Him behind. When they finally found Jesus in the Temple courts with the Teachers His answer was, ” Why were you searching for Me? Didn’t you know I had to be in My Father’s house?” Again we see Mary treasuring all these things…laying them up in her heart & mind. Was it an affirmation of her faith for Mary to hear Jesus express His awareness of His filial relationship with God for the first time? Did she contemplate & cherish the details of Jesus’ ministry as she watched people healed & set free? And later, was it a careful keeping and holding on to precious memories as Mary watched the crowd crucify her firstborn son? Mary may not have fully understood…but her heart was full of her son.
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