Reepham Benefice

Mary treasured all these things in her heart. St Luke adds a similar comment just after the shepherds have come to the stable. Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. I love that word ‘ponder’; it means to weight up or to think deeply about something. We live in times where there is not so much pondering goes on as there used to, I think; certainly not in my live. But pondering is a marvellous thing to do.

Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. In today’s Gospel we have moved very quickly from the birth of Jesus to the only incident we have, or we know, about his boyhood. And this little incident is full of meaning.

Here is Jesus conversing with the Rabbi’s in the temple Not just listening, but asking questions. And any good teacher knows that it’s important to make time for questions as well as spouting yourself. It was an impromptu RE lesson and he shows himself to be a very bright pupil. Was he, even now, beginning to understand something of his great mission? And that it might involve suffering and death? Would he have known? Surely he would,

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