V. The Finding in the Temple - Mary Seeks for Jesus

Mary and Joseph, haying journeyed to Jerusalem to celebrate the paschal solemnity, were returning to Nazareth when the great feast was ended. Separated from one another, according to the custom of these pious pilgrimages, they did not perceive till the end of a day's journey that Jesus was not with them. They sought Him among their relations and acquaintances; they go from the men, who travelled separately from the women, to these latter, and from the women again to the men; they inquire, they anxiously repeat the inquiry, they conjure their neighbors to tell them if they have seen their precious and holy Child. Bub no one has seen Him.

What anguish! What bitter grief for the heart of that Mother who, during twelve years, has lived a life of ecstasy, absorbed in the contemplation of His perfections! Day by day She saw in Him new graces of soul and body. Her whole life is in Him. Having inquired for Him among all the groups of travellers She met, She returned to Jerusalem to pour forth Her grief in the Temple of God.

O marvel! A Child of twelve years has placed Himself among the doctors of the law, astonishing them by the depth of His questions and the wisdom of His answers. It is He! What happiness! All the anguish of Her sorrowful search vanishes in an instant in the joy of possession.

To seek Jesus Christ is the first duty of the soul that has lost Him; to find Him again is the greatest happiness of all. It behooves us to perform the duty quickly, so as to enjoy as quickly the unspeakable reward; delays always make the search more difficult, and often make it fruitless. "Seek the Lord while He may be found," says the prophet Isaias, 55:6. But oh, how many live in criminal indifference when Jesus has withdrawn Himself far away from them, driven off by sin! To the sweet and loving Master whose authority weighs upon their will so lightly have succeeded implacable tyrants whom they cannot satisfy. Their true Friend, whose holy and salutary presence filled their souls with peace and confidence, has given place to infuriated enemies who are the poison of today and the despair of tomorrow. But, alas! they know not the loss they have sustained; it may be they wish to forget it. Perchance they are afraid of the return of their Saviour. Let us entreat them to think of their state, let us bewail their misfortune, let us pray for them, let us beg our holy Mother to obtain for them the grace to feel how bitter and how hard a thing it is to live estranged from a God so amiable and so good. Let us ask Her to conduct them into the temple in which Jesus dwells, in which He speaks by august signs, sometimes by the mouths of His priests and oftener by the grace which flows from His tabernacle. May She engage Her divine Son to make the first advances towards the conversion of these poor souls; and, finally, may She prepare them with paternal solicitude for the inexpressible joy of finding Her Son by a true conversion. Holy Mary, Mother of God, Mother of sinners, draw all those souls to an earnest search for Jesus who have lost Him, and bring Him back to those in whom He no longer dwells.

As to ourselves, let us reflect upon our actual state; let us ask ourselves in all earnestness, Where is Jesus? If His sweet voice responds to our call, if He makes us enjoy the consolations of His presence and feel the pious emotions of His grace, let us bless Him and rejoice in Him. If, on the other hand, to prove our love for Him or to punish our numerous infidelities, He veils His face and hides Himself from us, leaving us afflicted with the want of all sensible consolations, let us not be cast down, but rather seek Him more earnestly than ever. Let us seek Him by desires and prayers, by tears of repentance, the correction of our faults, and the multiplication of our good works. We should seek Him especially in the Sacraments in which His grace abides, in His tabernacle, which is especially His dwelling-place, and in the loving care of His holy Mother, who awaits the propitious moment to bring Him back to us.