Rosary Reflections:Finding Jesus in the Temple and the Unexpected Places of our Hearts
This past summer, I was pulling a few spring toys out of our shed for my 3-year-old and my 19-month-old. Our shed was a complete disaster, and I found myself in an obstacle course of bikes, deck furniture, and buckets of miscellaneous tools, all with my 19-month-old at my heels. Meanwhile, my 3-year-old, Nora, was patiently waiting for me just outside the shed door, within eyesight.
I found our beloved little wagon and casually tossed it into the grass next to Nora. She immediately took off with it, and I knew she was heading to the front of the house, where we had just chalked a pretend road on the driveway. There was no stopping her! I frantically called out to her to stop and wait for me, but she was gone!
We live in a really safe neighborhood, but my intrusive thoughts took over. I didn’t know who was walking their dog, who was receiving an Amazon package, or if there were door-to-door salesmen out that day trying to sell pest control. My daughter could have been in danger, and I was stuck in a messy shed, blocked behind the snowblower.
This is but a fraction of what Mary must have felt when 12-year-old Jesus decided to stay in Jerusalem after the Passover instead of traveling home with His parents to Nazareth. Could you imagine noticing that your son, or the person you love more than anything in the world, is missing after a full day’s travel? Mary and Joseph probably assumed Jesus was with His friends or other family members within their large caravan of people, but instead, He was gone.
Retracing their steps, they found Jesus in the least expected place. He wasn’t playing in the streets with the other children His age or hanging out at the market. He was found in the Temple among the religious leaders, listening and conversing with them.
It is instinctual for me to keep my children close. They are my whole world, and I do everything I can to protect them.
It's also instinctual for me to keep close the things in my life that I use to protect myself…perfectionism, working hard or striving for achievements, needing to prove my worth, control, and the list goes on and on.
I would love for Jesus to only see the places in my life where I have it all together. But in His loving generosity, Jesus likes to meet me in the places where I don’t. It feels unexpected to have Jesus show up in the places of imperfection or the places that I deem as weaknesses…but those are the exact places where He wants to meet me, see me, and love me exactly as I am!
As you pray the Fourth Joyful Mystery, the Finding of the Lord in the Temple, let's meditate on one small area of in our lives where we are ready for Jesus to meet us, truly see us, and ultimately show us how He is already loving us there.
Mother Mary, we ask for your intercession to release our tendency to grasp and control so that we may find Jesus in the unexpected places of our hearts.
Until next time, your sister in Christ,
Abby
*This post was adapted from a meditation given at a Marian Brunch hosted by Catholic Country Chronicles this past spring.
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