"The shepherds went in haste to Bethlehem and found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known the message that had been told them about this child. All who heard it were amazed."
Gospel of Luke
On the first day of the year and the feast day of the solemnity of Mary, we come with all our resolutions and hopes of things to come. Yet we know from experience that resolutions can fall away quickly as the days and weeks pass. This can happen, not only to our personal resolutions, but also to our spiritual resolutions. If we examine this phenomena closely, we discover that the reason is that we often can come up with the idea of what to do, but fail to follow a method or discipline to put it in place.
In scripture and in church we discover wisdom. This is the voice that speaks to our hearts about what would be best for us, but we also need to discover the method by which they can be accomplished. We need both. Wisdom without method will not lead to any meaningful change. Coming up with ideas is one thing, but if we lack the method of putting the idea in place, it is unlikely that much will happen.
From this context, we look at the following scriptures. We read in Numbers:
The Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord make His face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you.
The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
We are not alone.
In Galatians, we have the encouraging words of St. Paul to focus us in the right direction: "God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying Abba father. So you are no longer a slave, but a son or daughter and also heir through God."
Do you see yourself as a son or daughter of God? Do you see yourself as an heir to His Kingdom?
If we look at these quotes from scripture superficially, and only refer to them once or twice a year, they will have little impact on our lives. But if we approach them through daily prayer, and ponder them in our hearts, then the seeds of this message, this wisdom, will begin to take root in our lives.
This is the "method" that we adopt in order to assure that the wisdom given us and spoken to our hearts, becomes a reality in our lives.
In the Gospel of Luke above, the shepherds, excited about their own experience of God's truths go to Bethlehem and convey to Mary and Joseph all that they have seen and heard. It is said that Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. It is through this "method", the action of pondering, that she was able to fulfill God's revelation for all the people. This daily practice of pondering, reflecting, meditating on the wisdom of God becomes the means by which we see our own role in God's plan as son and daughter, as heir of His Kingdom.
A daily discipline of prayer and meditation, receiving Christ by word and sacrament, becomes the method that brings our resolutions to life.
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