They assumed that he was in their group of travelers, and, after walking the whole day, they looked for him
among their relatives and friends. As they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem, searching for him;
and, on the third day, they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking
questions. And all the people were amazed at his understanding and his answers.

His parents were very surprised when they saw him; and his mother said to him, “Son, why have you done
this tous? Your father and I were very worried while searching for you.” Then 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 this answer.

Jesus went down with them, returning to Nazareth, and Jesus went down with them, returning to Nazareth, and
he continued to be obedient to them. As for his mother, she kept all these things in her heart.

Reflection:

In February 2019, two events took place simultaneously in Rome. One was a meeting at the Vatican on the“Protection
of Minors in the Church.” The other was a conference, “The Revolutionof Tenderness: The Heart of Mary”, organized by
three religious congregations who were Marian in their charisms. A touching observation was made at the conference
that it was no coincidence that these two events were happening together: The only solution to the evil of child abuse is
to have the tender heart of a mother, of the Mother. At the Protectionof Minors meeting, journalist Valentina Alazraki observed
that a mother’s heart would always bleed for the weakest children and protect them at any cost.The role of the Church, and
by extension, of every member of the Church, is to be such a mother to the “weakest children”of the world: the poor, the sick,
the needy, the victims. There is no better model to imitate than the Heart of Mother Mary.

© Copyright Bible Diary 2022