Part 21 - Life of Mary
Marida Ignacio
DISCLAIMER: This compilation was based on saints, blesseds,
visionaries (4 in all) accounts of the "Life of Mary" as
"revealed" to them. It is NOT officially approved by the
Church as essential to our faith and belief. It is up to
individual reader's discretion to believe it or not.
This is here for simple contemplation on what "Holy life of
Our Blessed Virgin Mother" was and what virtues we can derive
from it.
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>From the book:
The Life of Mary as Seen by Mystics
Compiled by Raphael Brown
TAN Books and Publishers, Inc.
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Summary:
Chap. 21. The Boy Jesus in the Temple
The Holy Family, being Jews, went to the Temple in Jerusalem at least
once a year to celebrate the Pasch in April. Jesus was 8 years old
when He first took the long trip with His parents.
In the Temple, Jesus prayed ardently to God for the whole human race.
Mary perceived this and she also thought of her Son's future sufferings
in that city and Jesus would turn to her to ask her to offer such
sufferings to God for the salvation of men.
Several times in the Temple, Mary heard God declare: "This is My Beloved
Son in whom I am well pleased."
When Jesus was twelve, as the Holy Family proceeded back to Nazareth after
their yearly pilgrimage to the Temple, He slipped away from His parents
as they approached the exit of the city gate. Jesus foresaw what was to
happen and He offered it up to His Eternal Father for the benefit of souls.
In 3 days, Jesus begged alms for the poor, visited the sick in the hospital,
consoling them and sharing the alms He begged for while He also secretly
cured some and restored spiritual strength of many.
Then He went with some boys to 3 schools, one each day. He asked questions
and gave answers to teachers and priests who became surprised and irritated
that they decided on the 3rd afternoon to publicly test Him in the Temple.
Experts applauded the Boy's knowledge but they later felt envious and
jealous of Him.
Jesus awakened these old Israelites who were dressed as priests, and
brought them analogies from nature and art. He spoke like a specialist in
the fields medicine, the human body, astronomy, architecture, agriculture,
geometry, mathematics and law. His listeners were inwardly furious and
embarassed by His astounding knowledge.
The topic turned to the coming of the Messias. Jesus taught with divine
conviction in contrary to the Hebrew scholars' belief. He proved that
the Messias must be among them at this time with the situation of Israel
that time and with the same servitude as foretold. Jesus' explanations
refuted the scholars interpretation of the Law that they were furious.
Meanwhile, Mary and Joseph were so anxious, feeling self-reproach for not
finding Jesus where they looked - among friends and relatives. Although
Mary knew that His Passion was not yet due, she was afraid that the current
king, Archelaus, might have taken Him prisoner and was mistreating Him.
She also contemplated on a possibility that He went to the desert to live
with John the Baptist.
Mary did not eat nor sleep these 3 days. Her angels whom she talked to
were not allowed to tell her where Jesus was. In her humility and prudence,
she did not ask them. Mary bore her anxiety with patience, resignation
and submission which she topped with exterior and interior peace. She
continued to pray for the human race and the grace to find her Son.
A woman who gave alms to Jesus told Mary that she saw Him begging for
alms and that she felt compassion for such a beautiful Child in poverty
and need.
Then Mary learned at a city hospital that Jesus visited the poor there.
Now Mary deduced that since Jesus was not with the poor at that time,
then He would be in the House of God. Her angels finally broke their
silence and told Mary: "Our Queen and our Lady, the hour of thy
consolation is at hand. Soon thou wilt see the Light of thine eyes.
Hasten thy footsteps and go to the Temple."
St. Joseph who was searching for Jesus separately, joined Mary. This
search had endangered St. Joseph's life for lack of food and rest but
God strengtened him. They then arrived at the Temple and found Jesus just
as He was finishing His last explanation.
Mary and St. Joseph were overwhelmed with joy and did not first understand
the meaning of Jesus' response to Mary inquiry because during all these
times, Jesus' soul was again veiled from Mary's eyes.
(exact qoute follows)
For a moment it seemed as if several of the scholars who were so angry
at Jesus might do Him some harm. But then the Holy Family quietly went
out through the crowd, which opened to let them pass. Soon they had left
the city.
When they were alone on the road, Mary knelt before her Son and asked His
blessing. With loving tenderness, the Boy Jesus raised her from the
ground, comforted her, and revealed to her all that He had done in those
3 days. Later during the journey, He also explained to her that the
learned doctors had not recognized Him as the Messias because they were
inflated and arrogant in their own knowledge and that their understanding
was obscured by the loving desire to see the truth, His reasoning would
have sufficiently convinced them.
"And his mother kept all these things carefully in her heart."
(end qoute)
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Our Lady said to Venerable Mary of Agreda
"The Lord absented Himself from me in order that by seeking Him in
sorrow and tears I might find Him again in joy and with abundant fruits
for my soul. In my great love the uncertainty as to the cause of His
withdrawal gave me no rest until I found Him.
"In this I wish that thou imitate me, whether thou lose Him through
thy own fault or by the disposition of His will. For to lose sight
of God for the purpose of being tried in virtue and love is not the
same as to lose sight of Him in punishment for sins committed.
"So strong are the bonds of His Love that no one can burst them,
except thy _own free will_."
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(__ \/ ) His Peace through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Marida
* )XxXx/
* | / "Human-kind: Where protection of valuable life starts and
* ) / takes off."
* \/ Jeremiah 1:5: "Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you..."
*