The hymn, “Mary, did you know?” has come in for lots of criticism of late. One meme I saw on Facebook accused it of being a “mansplaining” of what Mary obviously already knew because an angel had told her.

Well, ok. Far be it from me to contest that patriarchy infiltrates Christianity today! But, really, I have also read the words Gabriel spoke to her, and if she understood everything, if she really got the whole story from Gabriel’s words, why did she have to ponder those words?

And why did she ponder again several years later when Jesus stayed behind the family to ‘be about his Father’s work’ in the temple? And even more years later when he was in his early 30s, why did she show up where he was teaching with his brothers to take him away because, the scripture implies, even they had come to wonder about his mental health?

I suspect there was a veritable storm of pondering going on in Mary’s heart and mind, and that clarity perhaps came finally in the anguish at the foot of the cross.

Moreover, don’t jump on “Mary, Did you know?” without also considering “Mother Mary, Meek and Mild.” I mean, have you read “The Magnificat” lately? This is a woman who celebrated her pregnancy with a song of revolution! Ponder that.