Thy father and I have sought Thee sorrowing
(St. Luke ii. 48)
When Jesus was twelve years old. He went up
with His parents for their annual visit to the
Temple. On their return they missed Him, and
for three days sought Him, and sought in vain.
What must have been the agony of Mary's heart
during those three days! Had Jesus left them
never to return? Could it be that she had unconsciously, by some negligence, forfeited the
privilege of the company of Jesus? Was she never
to behold Him again? Such were thoughts that
occurred to her in the piercing anguish of her
heart. Let us compassionate the Holy Mother of
God in her desolation.
What a cruel void in Mary's heart! The light
of her eyes and the joy of her heart had gone from
her. What an utter blank all else seemed without
Jesus--how could she live without Him? Without
Him life would be death! "How shall I comfort
thee, O Virgin daughter of Sion? for great as an
ocean is thy sorrow!"
Mary, then, can understand our sorrow in
times of darkness and desolation. No blackness of
desolation in our hearts is ever like the desolation
of Mary when she had lost Jesus! In all our
anguish we will cry to her! She will not be deaf
to our despairing cry, but will most surely succor
us and restore to us peace and joy: as to her,
there returned peace and joy unspeakable when
she found her Divine Son in the Temple.