Now it happened that when the angels had gone from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, 'Let us go to Bethlehem and see this event which the Lord has made known to us.' So they hurried away and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. When they saw the child they repeated what they had been told about him, and everyone who heard it was astonished at what the shepherds said to them.
When you read this passage what words, phrases or images occur to you as you read it for the first time? When you re-read it, do the same words, phrases or images emerge again?
I was struck by the phrases '' when the angels had gone from them into heaven'' and '' the shepherds said to one another'' let us go to Bethlehem... hurried away, the baby, when they saw the child, they repeated what they had been told about him.
PONDER:
When I ponder on the phrase '' when the angels had gone from them into heaven'', it speaks to me that the shepherds were mindful of the moment- they relished it and did not act until the moment had been fully unpacked.
When I ponder on the phrase '' the shepherds said to one another''- I ponder what a conversation that must have been. Having visited the shepherds field and had Mass there when I was on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 2000, I still treasure that visit there especially at Christmas. I can imagine the conversation. The fact that they said to one another indicates that they were all in agreement to go to Bethlehem to see this event... the other part of the sentence indicates that although they were not educated, God chose these humble shepherds. Obviously they had a faith/spirituality as they recognised this coming from the Lord.
In the expression ''hurried away'', Luke tells us of the urgency that the shepherds went to seek clarification on what they already knew was from the Lord. They sought not proof because in their hearts, they already believed, but they hurried away to see- to see with their own eyes.
I find the phases ''when they saw the child'' very telling as it indicates that the shepherds had their focus on the Lord in the child. It does not say ''when they saw Mary and Joseph'', which could have been more natural since the child was a baby. It indicates that when they saw the child it clarified what had occurred to them previously with the angels appearing in the fields. Remember they were humble shepherds. Yet they experienced the angels appearing to them, followed through with seeking to know more and then shared what they had been told.
I also pondered on the phrase '' they repeated what they had been told''. The shepherds relayed the message of Heaven to Mary and Joseph. The text says '' repeated what they had been told''. We do not hear what Mary or Joseph said.. but we are told in the next verse that Mary pondered all these things and treasured them in her heart''.
Do we ponder what we have been told by Christ in the scriptures, in our conversations with God in prayer and what we are told about Christ in the homilies at Mass?
ACT
It seems to me that this scripture gives a very good clue- live fully in the moment of revelation, test it ( see for ourselves) and then share what we have been told. In other words, in sharing what we have been told, we will be sharing the truth not our own impressions or perhaps misguided version of what we believe. No, the truth will be what is shared and being faithful to the truth of our experience, we will be also be believed by others. Truth carries weight in words.
Now you might be thinking.. this is fine but I do not have a moment of revelation to share. God speaks to us regularly when we are listening. What does He tell us? He provides for all our needs. When we are down, He uplifts us; when we are happy, He shares our joy; when our finances are low and we are stressed, He provides for our temporal needs. I am sure that you can find many examples of what God has done in your life. Have you shared this with others and given God the glory for the graces you have received? I know that I am particularly grateful for what God has done in my life this year. My health has had a huge turnaround- a real 180 degrees and I feel so grateful, so pleased that at last, I feel so much better. I am also so grateful that I have been able to get my website up and running finally. I have had enormous problems with getting it to this point. I wont bore you with all the details. I assure you finally publishing my site was a great moment- a blessed moment for me. These are 2 huge areas of my life that have been blessed by God this year. Yet there have been 365 days of blessings really with a 24 hour span, As one hymn says''every moment of every day...''
What do you read, ponder and act on when you read this passage of scripture?
How will it affect your preparation for Christmas?
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