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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.
Friday morning my telephone rang at 5:45 am. My heart raced as I thought: "That's got to be mom calling about a medical emergency. Maybe something happened to my sister or my grandparents? Oh no!" I picked up the receiver. An automated voice from the city police department announced a lost teenager missing since 3:30 am. A complete description of her height, weight, and clothing followed. I'm used to radio Amber alerts and freeway Silver alerts , but I'd never received a call from the city regarding a missing person. It's comforting to know the suburb I live in offers such a service. I prayed a quick "Hail Mary" and "Our Father" for the young teen. Thank the Lord only a few hours later another message left on my voicemail confirmed the girl was located. Where had she been all night? Hmmm.....I think most parents can make an educated guess or two.
What have you lost? Have you recently lost something like your car keys, a piece of jewelry, or an important document? We all lose things every once and a while. How we deal with these losses is the key. Do we lose our marbles? Do we complain and beat ourselves over the head in disgust and anger? Or, do we logically retrace our steps back to the point we lost the object? Of course, we can say a prayer to Saint Anthony. Along with prayer, simply calming down our anxious minds helps. I find nine out of ten times when I stop freaking out about something lost I suddenly find it. Worst case scenario: I simply forget that I lost the object to begin with. No gain, no foul. For example, I lost an extra set of house keys, figuring I dropped them on the sidewalk while walking my dachshund. One year later I discovered the missing keys in a bag of old Halloween decorations stored in the closet. Amazing how things lost are found when we no longer make a fuss over them.
Finding Jesus in the temple One of my favorite Mysteries of the Holy Rosary is this passage from scripture about Mary and Joseph finding Jesus in the temple. I understand the horror parents must feel when a child suddenly goes missing. Mary and Joseph experienced the same situation. Fear and confusion suddenly become overwhelming. What happened to Jesus? Is he safe? Dear God, please bring him back to us! After three days, they find Jesus in the temple engaging in dialog with the teachers. That's when Mary and Joseph understood Jesus to be a blessed child like no other. He possessed wisdom and knowledge advanced for his years. He was simply astounding and amazing for a mere youth!
What can be found? When we have lost our way in life, burdened by grief and hardship, we can find new meaning and hope in Jesus Christ. All we have to do is open ourselves to him -- our entire mind, heart, body and soul. Most importantly is the heart. When our heart is conjoined with the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, we discover joy and contentment. We suddenly find that some people we've lost may not be worth finding. Perhaps God only intended us to associate with a girlfriend or boyfriend for a short period of our life. Furthermore, we realize some things may be worth the find, especially if they brings us closer to Christ. Maybe you've drifted away from the Church for a while. Jesus and the Blessed Mother are pulling at your heart strings inviting you back to the Sacraments! Make an effort to reconnect with Jesus again. He is more than willing to receive you back with loving and open arms!
"Mary, give me your Heart: so beautiful, so pure, so immaculate; your Heart so full of love and humility that I may be able to receive Jesus in the Bread of Life and love Him as you love Him and serve Him in the distressing guise of the poor."
-Mother Theresa
Immaculate Heart of Mary, Pray for Us!
-J.
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