Immaculate Heart of Mary

The Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of Mary commemorates the love of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus. Love is not the same as affection or liking somebody. Love means reaching out for the well-being of another–to do good for another.

When we say that Mary loves us we are speaking about her determination to do what is good for us, to lead us where Jesus wants us to go. Mary loves us because Jesus loves us and wants to bring us to salvation. She loves us when we have sinned and need to be brought back into the embrace of Jesus.

Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners. Keep loving us! Keep bringing us closer to the Lord.

Gospel

Lk 2:41-51

Each year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover,
and when he was twelve years old,
they went up according to festival custom.
After they had completed its days, as they were returning,
the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem,
but his parents did not know it.
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.
When his parents saw him,
they were astonished,
and his mother said to him,
“Son, why have you done this to us?
Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.”
And he said to them,
“Why were you looking for me?
Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”
But they did not understand what he said to them.
He went down with them and came to Nazareth,
and was obedient to them;
and his mother kept all these things in her heart.