Isaiah 61:9-11 / Luke 2:41-51 (2022)
The heart of a mother is a heart that is so lovable and understandable, and yet it is also so mysterious.
We may think that we understand our mothers, but they actually know more about us that we can ever imagine.
After all, we were conceived in the womb of our mothers, and hence we are a part of them and nothing can ever eradicate this mother-child relationship.
And it can be said that nothing can ever separate a mother from her child. A mother's bond to her child is something that goes beyond logic and explanation.
In today's feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the gospel reading gives us a good reflection of the heart of Mary.
Mary made it a point that Jesus had a religious upbringing and that was why she and Joseph brought Jesus to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover.
Mary had a heart for God and she wanted Jesus to have what she treasured most - a heart for God.
When Mary and Joseph lost contact with Jesus, Mary would have felt that void most deeply.
Yet when they found Jesus, Mary was like a typical mother reprimanding her son. That makes her so lovable and understandable.
Yet when she did not understand the reply of Jesus, she kept quiet and stored it in her heart. Mary knew how to respond in the face of mystery.
May we too have a heart like that of Mary, lovable and understandable by others. And may our hearts be also open to mystery and to store and reflect in our hearts what we cannot understand immediately.