Scripture Scribbles: January 1, 2023

the Gospel

Luke 2:16-21

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  
by what had been told them by the shepherds.
And Mary kept all these things,  
reflecting on them in her heart.
Then the shepherds returned,  
glorifying and praising God  
for all they had heard and seen,  
just as it had been told to them.  

When eight days were completed for his circumcision,  
he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel  
before he was conceived in the womb.

the devotion

“And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.” Immerse yourself in this reading as a shepherd running to Mary and Joseph to see Jesus. You arrive with joy and excitement - muscles burning, lungs expanded, hearts open and light - to share  the Good News you heard from the angels. Imagine Mary’s soft gaze as she listens to you patiently and holds your message in her heart - forming it, molding it, pondering it, perfecting it - so when the time is right, she can bring it forth to her Son. Mary brings everything to Jesus. When we ask for her intercession, she reflects on our requests and praises just as she did with the shepherds. Her perfect love for Jesus perfects our pleas to be known and healed. 

As I nurse my infant in the quiet dark after being surrounded by the bustling noises of children all day, I ponder Mary’s Sacred Heart in these silent, intimate moments - just her and her Son, her God, our God, softly drinking in her nourishing milk, dozing off with vulnerability and innocence while she drinks in his magnificence. Did she replay the annunciation? Did she reflect further on the shepherds proclaiming what they had seen and heard? Did she become overwhelmed with praise and gratitude knowing the incredibly intimate encounter she was experiencing with the One who loves her most? The One she loves most? My baby drifts off to sleep. I run to her in haste in the quiet of the night, leaping for joy to encounter her Son. She shows Him to me in His perfection and I fall to my knees. I am known. I am healed. Praise Him.

Today’s devotion was written by Diana Giard