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.

"His mother treasured all these things in her heart." (NRSV)

"His mother treasured up all these things in her heart." (REB)

"His mother kept all these things in her heart." (NAB)

"His mother stored up all these things in her heart." (NJB)

Mary is the perfect contemplative.  She is a tower of prayer.  Her son taught her by deigning to be fed and taught by her.  Our chances are very good that if we approach them in humility and faith they will teach us, too.

Mary didn't just hear and store up the words Jesus spoke.  She stored up the events of his life; all of his actions and the unfolding mystery of his being.  His profound humility in living under her obedience, his courage in stepping out on his own even as a child to obey the Father and go to the temple to hear and to teach.

Mary's heart is filled with nothing but good soil who when she "hears the word, holds it fast in an honest and good heart, and bears fruit with patient endurance." (Luke 8.15)

Mary is the perfect forerunner of those happy people prophesied by her son.  Was he not thinking of his own extraordinary and mysterious actions in her heart when he said "Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them." (John 14.23)  Is there any greater good to be had than having the Father and the Son come in to your heart and make their home there?  This is "the better part, which will not be taken away from us" if we are so bold as to chose it. (Luke 10.42)

We know those things which are enemies of contemplation and we should flee from them as though they are great evils.  If we know they prevent the infant Jesus from resting in us ought we not avoid them with great care?  They are distractions, as Jesus told Martha (Luke 10.40).  They are allowing the devil to take the seed from us (can we not think of the world here, which is his kingdom?), being rootless and not persevering in trial, and the cares and riches and pleasures of life (Luke 8.11-14).

Jesus wants to move into our hearts, and bring the Father too.  Let us stop at nothing to make room for him.