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Gospel Reading for June 8, 2024 – Luke 2: 41-51
TREASURE CHEST
Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Each year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, and when he was twelve years old, they went up according to festival custom. After they had completed its days, as they were returning, the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. Thinking that he was in the caravan, they journeyed for a day and looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances, but not finding him, they returned to Jerusalem to look for him. After three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions, and all who heard him were astounded at his understanding and his answers. When 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.” And he said to them, “Why were you looking 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. He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her heart.
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Although Mary was told by the angel Gabriel that: “Listen: you will conceive in your womb and will have a son; and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be a great man, and he’ll be called the son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever. His kingdom will never come to an end.” (Luke 1: 31-33), it was still difficult for Mary to understand the things that were happening to her son. Perhaps, if we were in her shoes, we’d even think that Jesus’ response was quite rude. And yet, Mary did not say anything more and just kept these things in her pure/immaculate heart. Little by little, events began to unfold until Jesus finally left her and went back to the Father. Probably, it was only then, that everything about her son became clear to her.
When God calls us and we respond “yes” to him, there will be many instances when we will not understand the things that are happening and will find them obscure. If we can be like Mary, who had COMPLETE TRUST in God, we will keep these things in our hearts, because the heart is the TREASURE CHEST where we store precious moments we have with God that unfold as we go through life. When the time is ripe and we need to open the chest, everything will become clear to us. We will discover the IMMENSE LOVE OF GOD for us. We will come to realize that he called us not for himself but for our ourselves, that we may be redeemed and share in his glory!
Mary, help us keep our hearts pure for the Lord!
