The Catholic practice of assigning a special devotion to each month goes back to the early 16th century. The best known of those devotions is probably the dedication of May as the month of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In the early years of the 19th century, it quickly spread throughout the Western Church, and, by the time of Pope Pius IX’s declaration of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception in 1854, it had become universal. May Crownings and other special May events in honor of Mary such as praying the rosary, stem from this time.
We can take this month of May as an opportunity to remember that in our desire to know God more intimately, we grow in comprehension of the meaning of the Incarnation in our world and life. It is in this light that we ponder this month the Virgin Mary, Theotokos or Mother of God and Mother of the Church.
To ponder something, we usually mean “thinking about something carefully in your head”. If we however shift from the head to the heart, a deeper meaning comes rushing to the surface. Here we ponder with our entire inner life and personality, the seat of our desires, emotions, thoughts and plans that construct our human character and that propel us into action and doing.
We meet God first in our heart, since it is only God who knows our hearts and delights in transforming them into a heart like Mary’s. To ponder in our hearts is to ponder with God, so that our response comes from the sincerity of the heart and moves us to action.
As Mary interpreted all the things she experienced and pondered these things in her heart, let us take this month of May and ponder with our hearts? Consider what we do in our liturgies and how we do them. Ponder the proclaimed Word of God. What does your heart feel about becoming a lector? Which other type of ministry might be a response in action to God this coming fall? Ponder, with God, over the summer months about ministry at Sacred Heart. Ponder where and how you can say yes with action and Magnify the Lord!
-Garrick
