Today's Reflections

Today's Reflections

The Boy Jesus in the Temple 

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Lk 2:41-51 

⁴¹Each year [Jesus’] parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, ⁴²and when he was twelve years old, they went up according to festival custom. ⁴³After they had completed its days, as they were returning, the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. ⁴⁴Thinking that he was in the caravan, they journeyed for a day and looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances, ⁴⁵but not finding him, they returned to Jerusalem to look for him. ⁴⁶After three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions, ⁴⁷and all who heard him were astounded at his understanding and his answers. ⁴⁸When his parents saw him, they were astonished, and his mother said to him, “Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.” ⁴⁹And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” ⁵⁰But they did not understand what he said to them. ⁵¹He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her heart.

Reflection:
 

His mother kept all these things in her heart. Having said her fiat to God, Mary accepts everything, giving God her total consent, her complete cooperation, and her unconditional commitment. Keeping everything in her heart, she recognizes God’s will and adapts herself to it. She gives her all to God. She offers Jesus for the fulfillment of God’s plan of redemption.

Mary knows and accepts her role in the mission of her Son Jesus. Mary trusts God’s ways. She believes in her heart what her Son Jesus does for the salvation of mankind. She becomes a silent disciple of her Son Jesus.

Keeping everything in her heart, Mary loves whom Jesus loves. And so Mary is keeping us in her heart. Mary’s heart is described as “immaculate.” It means blameless, without stain of sin, without impurity. Her immaculate heart signifies that she is what the archangel Gabriel said: full of grace or favored one (cf Lk 1:28).

The heart is the lifeline of the body. It stands for life and love, trust and tenderness. The heart defines the person. The words from our lips are the products of our hearts, and the actions of our hands are the desires of our hearts.

What do your words tell you about what is in your heart?