Daily Gospel Reflection
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June 12, 2021
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.
This gospel reading is a story of great humility. Usually when I hear this story, I am focused on the fear and anxiety that Mary and Joseph must have felt during those three long days of searching for Jesus. This time, however, I was newly struck by Jesus’ humility and obedience.
Jesus is misunderstood time and time again throughout his whole life on earth, starting from his very birth and ending at his crucifixion, death, and resurrection. And yet, he never once complains. This passage is yet another example of a time when Jesus is misunderstood. He stays in Jerusalem, engaging the teachers in the temple and preparing for his own future as a teacher. But his parents do not see his actions as preparation for what his Father has sent him to do; rather, they see him as a rebellious child who was not concerned at all for them.
While it seems so clear to Jesus that he would be in the temple—in his Father’s house—his parents do not understand. Instead of attempting to further explain his actions to his parents or becoming angry with them for jumping to a conclusion, he simply “went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them.” Even while being misunderstood, Jesus never fails in obedience.
How can it be that this 12-year-old boy, who is fully God while also fully human, is the pinnacle of humility and smallness, quietly obeying the will of his earthly parents? Let us pray that we, too, can deepen our humility by showing the same obedience both to our parents as well as to God, our heavenly Father.
Prayer
Ever-loving Father, in your goodness you made Mary the mother of your Son and of all your sons and daughters. In her Immaculate Heart, you give us a model of fidelity to your holy will and of unconditional love for all people. Through her motherly intercession, help us to imitate her example and join our hearts to yours that we may live with you forever. We ask this through your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Saint of the Day
Today’s feast day of the Immaculate Heart of Mary falls on the day after the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus because devotion to these two hearts was promoted together as a means of entering more deeply into the mystery of God’s love.
In 1944, in the midst of World War II, Pope Pius XII dedicated the entire world to the patronage and protection of the Immaculate Heart of Mary—the intention expressed in his decree was "peace among nations, freedom for the Church, the conversion of sinners, the love of purity and the practice of virtue.”
Though it found prominence in the 20th century, devotion to Mary’s Immaculate Heart is not new. Early Christians revered the movements of Mary’s heart in the Gospels—she pondered the events of the nativity in her heart (Lk 2:19); and when she and Joseph presented Jesus in the temple, Simeon prophesied that a sword of sorrow would pierce her heart (Lk 2:35). Of course, Mary was faithful to Jesus to the end, and the image of her sorrowfully beholding her Son on the cross has always struck a deep chord with the faithful.
Devotion to Mary’s heart was taken up by theologians and saints from many ages, but it was the 17th century French preacher, St. John Eudes, who formalized this devotion into liturgical practice that we observe today. John’s spirituality focused on the love of Jesus and Mary, symbolized in their sacred hearts. He began a feast day for parishes in France to encourage people to honor the heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus; these feast days spread quickly and were taken up around the Church.
Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus focuses on God’s immense love for humanity, even though it was repulsed, scorned, and crucified. Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary points us towards her love for Jesus and for God as an example.
Though the Basilica on campus was built before St. John Eudes was canonized, it includes a stained glass window that shows him honoring the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The Basilica also contains this mural of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
While the Sacred Heart of Jesus is the patron of Holy Cross priests, the community of sisters founded by Blessed Basil Moreau were entrusted to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Relics of Mary rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica, including strands of her hair and parts of her clothes.
On this feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, let us imitate Mary’s heart by sharing her faithfulness to Jesus!