This is part of a series entitled, “One-Line Wonders.” Read the series introduction here. To see other posts in the series, click here.

[Jesus] went down with [Joseph and Mary] and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her heart. (Luke 2:51)

If you ever find yourself walking around the side chapels in the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, you may come across various depictions of the four Gospel writers. And if you find the Evangelist we celebrate today, Saint Luke, you will notice him gazing upon a statue of Mary. Mary is depicted as holding Jesus close to her heart. She seems to be engaged with and listening to her son.

The statue shows an important theme about the Blessed Virgin: Mary listens to Jesus in everything. She listens to Jesus even when it is extremely difficult to do so. At the beginning of Luke’s Gospel, Mary and Joseph are distressed because they have lost their son: “Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety” (Luke 2:48). Jesus’ response shows that no normal child is speaking here: “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” (Luke 2:49). In the midst of trying to understand the Divine mysteries, Mary’s response is complete docility: “His mother kept all these things in her heart” (Luke 2:51). Despite this trial, Mary displays an openness to being transformed by the words of her Son. 

Mary’s response of ruminating and pondering Jesus is a model for us. At first, she does not understand why her son would leave her. When Jesus explains his absence, even if it is in an unexpected way, Mary responds by keeping all these things in her heart. She grasps onto the word of her son, who is the Word made flesh, and treasures it in her inmost being. We can only imagine how many times she must have poured over these words, begging God for clarity. Mary experienced great distress, but in her distress, she turns to Jesus and listens to his words. Mary’s attitude of always listening to God characterized her entire life. She listened for the words of Divine Providence shaping her life and the lives of others. Nothing is outside God’s guiding hand, and Mary lived this reality. She always listened for God, so she always found him. 

We might be inclined to think that Mary had it easy. After all, Jesus Christ walked in her midst! But we shouldn’t think Mary’s attitude is limited to the physical presence of Jesus. Mary listened for God everywhere, at every moment of her life, and saw everything in light of Divine Providence. Mary radically threw herself into the loving hands of our heavenly Father, who knows what we need before we ask him (see Matt 6:8). And what we really need is God—all of his love, goodness, and mercy. The rest of our daily needs? Yes, they’re real, but God will take care of them. Mary trusted in the loving care and providence of God: “Your heavenly Father knows [what you need]. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides” (Matt 6:32–33). If we seek God, “all things” are promised to us. We should listen for God in his providence, because in his providence, he does provide for us. Mary sought God by seeing his subtle movement in every granular detail of her life. By listening for the Lord, Mary came to a deeper understanding of just how much God loves her. 

How often do we take the time to really listen to God’s voice? It’s easy to ignore the words of the Lord. There’s an infinite amount of media to consume. Everyone is always so “busy.” We all have our personal projects. Excuses abound. In trying to consume all things, it’s no wonder that we lack all things. That explains the common feeling of emptiness felt in our world today. We’re not being filled with the words of the Lord, which we can hear at any moment. We need only seek it out by listening.

There are many ways to listen to God. The Rosary, lectio divina, Mass, holy friendships, spiritual reading, and regular confession are all important ways in which we can listen to God. These should not be neglected. But we should also ask God for the grace to see reality from his perspective, to see the inner workings of Divine Providence. We won’t be able to see it entirely in this life. Yet, we can see it “indistinctly, as in a mirror” (1 Cor 13:12). If God is always with us, then every moment is an opportunity to listen to his voice. Every joy, sorrow, longing, sin, grace, struggle, desire, and dream can lift our hearts up to God, the living God. We can pray without ceasing by listening without ceasing. 

What Mary exemplified in her life, St. Paul exhorts us to follow: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Phil 4:8). 

In all that we experience, there is cause to turn to God in his providence. God only permits things for our good, so whatever we experience, whether good or ill, is always for our salvation. We can listen to God by asking him where he is amidst every moment of our lives. No human person better exemplified this attitude of listening to God in his providence than the Blessed Virgin. She is the mother of Jesus, and she is our mother, too (see John 19:27). We imitate her by pondering the words of Jesus, no matter the circumstances of our life. It’s a task that seems daunting, but we can turn to Mary for help. We can trust in her, imitate her, and rest in her, all so that we may be closer to her son, Jesus Christ. “As a child has rest in its mother’s arms, even so my soul.” (Ps 131:2). If we wish to contemplate Jesus like Mary did, we will do so by listening to God in all things, trusting in his providential care over every aspect of our life.

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Image: Giovanni Battista Salvi da Sassoferrato, Madonna col Bambino ed Angeli