Peace. It is the deepest longing of every heart.
We long for peace – peace in the world, peace in our country, peace in our city, peace in our homes, peace in our lives.
The Blessed Virgin Mary was probably the most peaceful human being who ever lived.
How did she do it?
St. Luke gives us a clue in his Gospel: “She treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart” (Luke 2:19).
Mary’s life was not so different from yours or mine. Her life was not what she expected it to be.
“How could this be? I do not know man,” she asked the archangel Gabriel when he told her that God had chosen her to be the mother of God made flesh.
“Do not worry about it, Mary. It will be done by the power of the Holy Spirit,” Gabriel told Mary.
“What kind of answer is that?” Mary might have thought.
“It will be done by the power of the Holy Spirit? What in the world does that mean?” Mary might have asked herself.
Mary did not have any clue. All she had was faith.
Her life changed drastically when she said, “Yes” to what Gabriel declared to her.
She conceived Jesus.
Because Emperor Augustus wanted to have a census taken, Mary had to go to Bethlehem when her pregnancy was in an advanced stage.
In Bethlehem, there was no place for her son to be born. Her son, whom she knew to be Christ, was placed in a trough where animals ate.
Mary took care of her baby for a few days. Then she learned that King Herod wanted to kill her baby.
So Joseph and Mary had to go to Egypt to protect their baby. Mary never had been in Egypt.
She and Joseph did not know anybody in Egypt. They did not have friends in Egypt. They did not speak Egyptian.
Joseph was unemployed for a while. He had to find a job.
And after they came back from Egypt, at some point Joseph died.
Years went by. Jesus, who Mary knew was God, still lived at home, perhaps doing nothing that she expected Him to do.
Mary might have expected Jesus to begin His work as Savior of the world as soon as He became an adult.
Instead, Jesus worked as a carpenter, making furniture and building houses.
Like any parent, Mary had expectations for her son.
Jesus finally left home. But He was rejected. He was executed and buried, but then rose from the dead.
Mary went through the same challenges that you and I go through every day.
Though she did not sin, she still had to grow in faith.
How did Mary do it?
She pondered. She slowed down. She rested in the hands of God.
There is nothing more significant we can do for ourselves, in whatever difficulties we find ourselves, than to begin each day in silence for a definite amount of time.
We need time to talk to God and to listen to God.
We need to ask God to give us the certainty of knowing Who God is; of knowing that God is near; of knowing that God cares for our lives; of knowing that we matter to God; and of knowing our identity as children of God.
God wants us to know that true peace comes from knowing that His plan for us is for good and not for woe.
All things that God wants to give us do not require education or experience.
All it takes is a little time and willingness to ponder and to treasure.