The Gospel for the memorial of the Immaculate Heart of Mary tells of Mary and Joseph taking twelve-year-old Jesus to Jerusalem for Passover. When the feast ended, they began the journey home, assuming Jesus was with friends and relatives, not realizing He had stayed behind.

After some time, they searched among relatives and friends, but no one had seen Him since leaving Jerusalem. Realizing Jesus must still be there, Mary and Joseph, surely terrified, immediately returned to the city.

For three days they searched for Him. At last, they found Jesus in the Temple, sitting with the teachers and questioning them. Their relief must have been immense, but so too their dismay and worry: why had He stayed behind without telling them?

Jesus was calm and simply replied, “Did you not know that I would be in my Father’s house?” Then He returned home with Mary and Joseph.

Back in Nazareth, life returned to normal and Jesus was obedient to His parents. Still, Mary and Joseph must have often pondered what had happened in Jerusalem, wondering who Jesus would become. As Luke writes, “His mother treasured all these things in her heart.”

What memories do you hold in your heart today?  As you look back over your life, in what ways do you sense God’s presence?