"pondered in her heart"

"but Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart"



 After all the commotion around the original Christmas event, Mary "pondered in her heart." I'm sure you have heard this verse many times, but have you stopped to ponder it? Wouldn't Christmas be a great time to ponder Mary's pondering in her heart? What is so profound about this that you and I can learn from Mary's Christmas?

Actually, this verse provides a fantastic lesson in psychology. I know, now you likely think I've really lost it. Stay with me because this moment for Mary stands in stark contrast with all of what human history wants you to know about thinking (pondering) and feeling (heart). 

Each of us are subjected to the tension between philosophy and religion. Likely you are not aware of these influences on you, but they are strong and pervasive. You don't have to study either to be dominated by them. With running the risk of oversimplifying, let me summarize this tension and its power over your personal psychology (thoughts, feelings and choices).

Classical Greek philosophy burst onto the scene around 600 BC. Prior to this time people looked to sages and prophets to tell them how to think and feel. The Greek philosophers are credited with introducing the personal delight and responsibility for rational inquiry and discovery. The contemplative life emerged as the pathway to virtue and the "perfect life." While philosophy enlightened theology, it also threatened institutional control over what people thought and felt. The tension between philosophy and religion was the inherent confrontation between the need for inquiry (freedom of thought) and the need for dogma (controlling thought). Throughout history, this confrontation grew violent as religion became politicized (wars of Islam, Catholics, Protestants, Holocaust, etc.). Orthodoxy ("the right opinion") is necessary for power bases to stop debate and control people's thoughts and feelings.

Here's the basic conflict. Classical Greek philosophy emphasized that inquiry must be applied to sensory perception. The assumption is that we can only rationalize (judge as true) that which we can experience through the senses. However, institutions cannot control subjective conclusions about truth. They introduced absolute truth in doctrines of orthodoxy to remove feelings from thought. In a sense, both approaches intend to reject the notion of sentimentalism and put the power of determining truth solely into the cognitive processes of humans. Philosophy depends on powers of the individual and religion relies on powers of the institution. Both approaches recognize the limitation and futility of being "only human." You've heard this, haven't you, "I'm only human"? Maybe you have even said this yourself. Yet, it is the way of the world in philosophy and religion.

Mary presents an alternative. We could call Mary a picture of Christmas psychology. Mary was not relying on what she observed in the physical world. Her soul was invaded by the eternal presence of God Himself. Her soul (psyche) was dominated by an amazing integration of thought (pondering) and affection (heart). No philosophy based on physical senses informed her judgments. No orthodoxy controlled her thoughts and feelings.

Mary's soul, the seat of her thoughts, feelings and choices, was not subject to philosophy not religion. She was under the influence of eternal conditions. God chose her. God empowered her. God informed her. Her thoughts (pondering) and her emotions (heart) were both subject to Him. May wan't left alone to be "only human." When God gave her Jesus, she became "really human." This is what happened on the first Christmas, "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us."

This is what Mary pondered in her heart. Her thoughts not constrained by her physical senses nor institutional dogma. Her affections (emotions) were very active and totally integrated with her thoughts. The world does not understand Mary's psychology. Maybe this is why Christmas has become more of a seasonal celebration of the senses than rejoicing over God's invasion of the human soul. Maybe this is why the circumstances of life establish our thoughts and mood.

So, when you trust your physical senses for what is true and are afraid to honor your affections, remember Mary did not do either that first Christmas.

Don't be hesitant to ponder in your heart what God has revealed to you beyond your physical senses this Christmas.