Commentary on the Gospel of
Immaculate Heart of Mary.
*Tender-hearted
*Sensitivity and respect for human dignity
*Patience and self-restraint
Having one as a Model implies looking up to the person’s attitude, character and behaviour at different moments. Watch out for these from Mother Mary, our model in faith-expression! Let’s reflect briefly on some of the traits that flow from her heart.
Tender-hearted: For Mother Mary it was like ‘oh, at last we found him!’ Jesus was just twelve years old. A good number of us would have beaten him up, some others, to say the least, would have scolded him for lack of respect for the elders, ’his parents’; not even telling them that he was staying behind! Mary did not put up any of such attitudes or behaviour, instead her question was investigative of the rationale behind his action: ‘Son, why have you done this to us?’ An inquiry into the level of maturity he exhibited! And his response confirmed that he knew what he was out for – in the Father’s house, discerning the route to his life’s mission!
She was highly respectful. Jesus’ age did not matter as far as she was concerned; she accorded him the dignity that he deserved as a human being. She approached him with a true maternal care, because he could be under stress too, wondering how to reconnect with the parents. Good parenting reserves admonitions to the conducive environments, like early in the morning at home, rather than public assault. This demands a lot of patience and self-restraint on the part of the parents. Mary teaches us respect and sensitivity towards others. In a world where many voices are neither heard nor listened to; many people within certain age brackets and groupings in the society, are approached insensitively by others, she models for us – do care, in spite of the age or class! Let us humbly copy from her. Immaculate heart of Mary, lead us to Jesus your Son, amen.
