“Mary treasured all of these things, pondering them in her heart.”  One of the most beautiful things ever said about any human being.  These words sum up the life and vocation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and they help us understand why she is such an important part of our life and a powerful source of strength and consolation for all of us, her children.  

At this point, in one sense, Mary had completed her task.  She had said “Yes” to the angel, she had faithfully borne the Word of God, and she had given birth to the Savior of the World, even amid difficulties and set-backs.  But Mary knew that her vocation was an eternal one, that she was not simply called to be Mother to Jesus’ human body.  She was called to be the Mother of God.  And so she kept her Son very close.  She taught him and raised him.  She sought him out when he was lost at the Temple in Jerusalem as a young boy.  Being familiar with the prophecies about her Son, she knew that she would have to stand with him amid sorrow and suffering as well.  And so she kept him close.  Most importantly she kept him close in her heart.  She treasured all of these things that had happened, pondering them in her heart.  She drew strength from the wondrous activity of God and she continued to live her life of deep Faith.  This Faith, which she treasured and pondered for thirty years, would give her the strength to stand by the Cross of her Son, to continue to believe in God’s plan even when all seemed to be lost.  And so she is a model for us of what it means to have one’s life transformed by Christ.  

Christ has also come into our lives.  He has touched our hearts and healed them in baptism, he has strengthened each one of us for our unique mission in the world through confirmation.  He gives us his very body and blood to sustain us in our journey.  He has given us membership in the Holy Family.  Our response is to treasure these things, and ponder them in our hearts.  To give thanks for the many gifts God has bestowed upon us, starting with the gift of life itself, and certainly the gift of New Life, Eternal Life, Life in abundance and joy.  And then, to continue to pray about everything God has done for us: for our whole human race collectively, and for you individually.  It’s a beautiful truth of our Faith that, if you were the only person that ever lived, God would still have come to earth, suffered and died for you.  Individually.  That’s how much he loves each and every one of us.  He didn’t just die on the cross for all of us.  He died on the cross for each of us.  That’s the intense love of God which Mary understood and which she saw in the face of her Son.  

And so, our first act of a New Year is to draw close to Mary and ask her to bring us to her Son.  No one ever treasured or pondered the Love of God more purely than Our Lady, and she wants to teach us how to love God like she does, and how to know Her Son, as she knows him.  That’s what Mary’s beautiful prayer of the Rosary does for us and perhaps this can be an outstanding New Year’s Resolution for us: to make the Rosary a more regular part of our lives.  The Rosary is so powerful because it helps us see Christ through the eyes of Our Lady, to ponder the most significant events of our salvation, standing with Mary who knows Our Lord better than anyone.  The Rosary is the school-room of Christ: the more we read our lessons, the more we ponder those mysteries with Mary as our teacher and guide, the more we will know about Christ, the more we will know Christ, and the more trust we will be able to have in him.  And so let us ask our Lady to be with us in this new year.  May she lead us to her Son, who is our Brother, our Salvation, and Our King.