But as the word comes... I wonder...
Is this the right word... is there synonym...?
one which better describes what I feel He's saying...?
So... off to Webster's...
mystery... a religious truth that one can know only by revelation and cannot fully understand... any of the 15 events (as Nativity, the Crucifixion, or the Assumption) serving as a subject for meditation during the saying of the rosary... something not understood or beyond understanding: enigma...
---Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 11th Ed.Hmm... it's surely the right word...
You see... I have a mystery or two in my life right now...
they cause me to wonder...
I believe... He's told me some things to come...
dare I say... promised... to move in the lives of loved ones...
but from where they are now... and what I see...
it's a complete mystery... as to how what He's revealed will come about...
Mary surely felt the same way...
How does a virgin get pregnant...?
And Mary said to the angel, "How will this be, since I am a virgin?"
And the angel answered her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child
to be born will be called holy --- the Son of God. ..."
Luke 1:34-35 ESV
If I were Mary... I think I would've followed up with another question...
OK... sure... but HOW...?
Mystery...
And the greeting Mary received from Elizabeth... when she heard hers...
And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb.
And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry,
"Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!
And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?..."
Luke 1:41-42 ESV
Mary... faced with another mystery...
How in the world...?! did Elizabeth know...?!
Surely Mary could hardly wrap her mind around what happened...
and probably wondered the whole trip...
How will I explain this to Liz...? will she believe...?
will she ask me to leave...?
But she shows up with a timid... Shalom...
and her blessed cousin... bursts forth with wonder...!
Mystery...
After giving birth in a barn...
Mary and Joseph tuck the Babe in a manger...
and unexpected visitors arrive...
When the angels went away from them, the shepherds said to one another,
"Let us go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened,
which the Lord made known to us." And they went with haste
and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger.
And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them
concerning the child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.
But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.
Luke 2:15-19 ESV
Can you imagine the surprise on Mary and Joseph's faces... when they realized the shepherds weren't there to bed down sheep... but to see the Babe...?
Another... How in the world...?! moment...
And the message the shepherds brought from the angel...
"... I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior,
who is Christ the Lord. ..."
Luke 2:10-11 ESV
Mary's baby... the Babe...
was to be good news for ALL people...
the Babe born unto you... plural...
a Savior... to you ALL...
Mary treasured up all these things... pondered them in her heart...
How in the world...? will this tiny Babe born in a barn...
grow up to be Savior of the world...?
He's good news to me... but how will He become good news to ALL...?
Mystery...
That's where I find myself today... pondering...
treasuring what I believe He's revealed...
wondering... How in the world...? will it come about...?
Mystery...
I notice as I write... all these mysteries... revolve around Mary...
and a truth about belief comes to light...
Mystery surrounds God... and in our relationship with Him...
we must accept the mystery... to walk by faith...
What exactly happened on the cross...?
Why did He have to die...?
How do I have a relationship with One I can't see...? hear...? touch...?
When do I know it's Him speaking...?
How does He bring good...? out of evil...?
When we say... Yes... to Him...
and He's born anew in our hearts...
life becomes a mystery worth pondering...
Amen...
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