Word to the Wise
Saturday, June 16, 2012 - Sat. after 2nd Sunday after Pentecost - The Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary
[Is 61:9-11 and Luke 2:41-51]"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.
Devotion to the "Immaculate Heart of Mary" developed around the same time as the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. However, this feast is not ranked as high in the liturgical calendar. For those with a strong Marian devotion, the ranking probably doesn't matter, but there is a certain theological point in this which the gospel scripture contains today. On a personal psychological level, the distress of Mary [and Joseph! Don't forget him!] is obvious. So, a Mother's heart can be reflected in that exasperated mix of anger and relief at the naughty boy who managed to avoid leaving in the caravan and causing a three-day search! That imaginative element is enough for many folks.
However, the point in the gospel is not about a lost child and frantic parents. It is about Jesus and his mission. It is helpful to remember that the "infancy narrative" is really a kind of "mini-gospel." Later on in the Gospel of Luke, we will hear Jesus say that his real family are those who believe in him. Thus, Mary, Joseph and anyone else who claims "kin" [a very important reality in the Middle East then and now] have no priority, and they did, indeed, show misunderstanding. Faith in Jesus would come to true fruition with the coming of the Holy Spirit. Thus, Mary and Joseph represent more the situation of all disciples, and this feast shows that we are all in good company in our own search for Jesus. What is our own response to his question: "Why were you looking for me?" AMEN