But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.

Luke 2:19

God chose to come into the world through a human mother.  We venerate Mary because she is the Mother of our God, Jesus Christ.  

Mary, the Mother of God, has an immaculate nature.  She was preserved from all sin and she never chose to sin.  She is truly immaculate.

As a mother myself, I see our Mama Mary as truly a great example of humility, meekness, and strength. She pondered everything that happened to her with utmost acceptance and she did not grow weary of contemplating. Instead  “She kept all these things, reflecting them in her heart.”  What a great example of meekness.

She is also the epitome of strength.  Being the mother of our Savior was a difficult mission.  She was there from the beginning of Jesus’ life until the end of His ministry.  Seeing her son’s pain, struggle, and death has been a nightmare. She endured all of it because she knew things have to happen for a reason. The reason is the salvation of all souls. 

Just late last year, a family crisis happened in our family that involved one of my sons.  It was one of the difficult moments of my life as a mother.  I can’t imagine how I got through them.  We are still not out of the woods yet, but the worst part was over. 

Pondering about what happened, now I can say that being stressed at work is a normal thing. Stress can easily be remedied with physical and mental vacation. Experiencing the pain of seeing my own son’s struggle was unbearable.  My son was at fault. He was remorseful for what he did. Seeing him suffer because of his mistakes is like thrusting a knife into my heart.  

Imagine our Blessed Virgin Mary who knew that Her son was blameless and yet suffered for the sins of others.  This is unimaginable!  How many mothers can have the strength like Hers?  Only our Blessed Virgin, the Immaculate Conception can endure such fate and yet stay faithful.

My faith in Mama Mary helped me endure my own pain. I pondered on her remarkable strength as a suffering mother during those moments of difficulty.  

*Repost from jennocampo.com, January 5, 2023.