Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Lk 2: 41-51
Now every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the festival of the Passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up as usual for the festival. When the festival was ended and they started to return, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. Assuming that he was in the group of travelers, they went a day’s journey. Then they started to look for him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for him.
After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, “Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety.”
He said to them, “Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” But they did not understand what he said to them. Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. His mother treasured all these things in her heart.
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
The Journey From Head To Heart
He went down with them and came to Nazareth and was obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her heart. Lk 2:51
There is a Sioux Indian saying, “The longest journey you will make in your life is from your head to your heart”. Well, to be honest, Jesus’ response to his mother, “Why were you searching for me?” is a response I wrestle with, and it hasn’t made a smooth transition from my head to my heart yet. I get stuck on how I would feel if I was his parent anxiously searching for him. But Mary didn’t get stuck. She didn’t have to understand what Jesus’ response meant to accept it into her heart. Mary’s faith, starting with her first “yes” to be the mother of God, allowed her to make the quickest journey from head to heart. Mary had a vibrant interior life (her heart). It is there where she could ponder all these things and rest in the peace of God’s presence. Each one of us has a unique interior life, our hearts, where God is waiting to receive us.
How can I shorten the journey from my head to my heart this week? What will I let go of and place in my heart?
—Margie O’Neill is the Director of Planned Giving for the Midwest Jesuits.
Prayer
Jesus, with each breath, may I be assured of your sovereignty over my life. Remind me that I am never alone, that you reside in my heart, a safe, quiet place where you accept me exactly as I am in this present moment. Here, give me your light to see how my thoughts and actions have affected others, and your guidance to show me how to be the person you want me to be. May I appreciate your peace that surpasses all understanding and completely trust in you.
—Margie O’Neill