Losing Christ

How profound must Mary’s sorrow have been as she searched for her Son, lost in the bustle of Jerusalem! Yet, unlike us, Mary had not lost Jesus through any fault of her own. He had withdrawn to fulfill His divine mission—to be about His Father’s business.

“Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” — Luke 2:49

But what about us? So often, through our sins and forgetfulness of His love, we have driven Him from our hearts. Not because He chose to leave, but because we chose another path. And while Mary’s separation from Jesus was temporary and external—His love for her remaining ever intact—ours is a deeper loss. We estrange ourselves from His grace, from the closeness of His friendship, the most precious gift any soul can possess.

“You will seek Me and find Me, when you seek Me with all your heart.” — Jeremiah 29:13

We must willingly pick up our cross to find Christ. There is no other way.

Mary’s sorrow was a pure anguish—a longing for the physical presence of her Son. Ours ought to be a contrite sorrow—a mourning of the divine intimacy we’ve risked by turning away. Yet, like Mary, we too can seek Him again, and joyfully find Him where He’s always been: ready to welcome us home.

Lord Jesus,
In moments when I’ve turned away from You,
remind me of Mary’s sorrow—
not in judgment, but in gentle invitation.
Help me to seek You with all my heart,
to long for Your presence
as she once did in the Temple.
Restore Your grace within me,
and let me walk again
as a beloved friend of Your Sacred Heart.
Amen.