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.

After a day’s journey out from Jerusalem Mary and Joseph discover Jesus is not with the group.  After returning to Jerusalem (another day) they find him three days later in the temple.  I am not a parent so I can only try to imagine how they must have been utterly at wits end.  Indeed, when they saw him they were “astonished.”  “Child, why have you treated us like this?”  Mary asks.  Poor Mary!  Whose heart does not go out to her?  I’m sure that being the mother of Jesus was not turning out how she may have imagined.  “Our Lord has a special kind of obscurity for each person’s life,” writes Cardinal Ratzinger.  “But could he have rendered anyone’s life as dark and incomprehensible as Mary’s?  This is why she is called blessed.  She is the great believer.”

Mary, help our faith.  Help us in our darkness to take the steps necessary to return to where your son may be found: the Word, the sacraments, the Church.  Then we, too, will “treasure all these things in our heart.”