Isaiah 61:9-11 / Luke 2:41-51
When we were in school, we used to hear a lot of this phrase "Remember by heart".
It applied to anything from mathematical formulas to grammatical rules to eating habits.
We remembered those things, although we didn't ponder on them or question them.
Mary did not just remember things; she pondered over the events and experiences in her life.
In her relationship and experience of Jesus, she indeed had rich and deep memories.
There is the wonder and joy of the first Christmas, the sorrow and grief at Calvary.
And in today's gospel, it was the worry and anxiety of finding Jesus and the astonishment at the answer He gave.
All this Mary remembered and pondered in her heart.
And as she pondered, the mystery of God was slowly revealed to her, the will of God was slowly made known to her.
The feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary invites us to have a contemplative heart.
It is only with a contemplative heart that we can recall our past in retrospection and see the hand of God in our personal history.
It is with a contemplative heart that we become more aware of the presence of God in the present, and that will deepen our hope and confidence in God to journey into the future.