We can only imagine what Joseph and Mary went through after they realized that Jesus was not with them, they had left Him behind. Perhaps they were blaming each other for not watching more carefully after their son. Anyway, I am sure that they felt scared, confused, sad, and empty because they truly missed their Son and didn’t know what happened to Him. Can you imagine the joy when they were reunited once again? Their sadness and fear turned into happiness because Jesus was well and sound, and he was with them once again. I recently had a conversation with a man who came back to the Catholic church after many years away. He told me that after all those years he was away from God, he realized that Jesus never left Him. Jesus was always around, but he had left Jesus behind. For all those years - he said - I felt empty, sad, fearful, just like Mary and Joseph after leaving their son behind. But now I am happy once again, and I have a purpose in my life. See, Jesus would never abandon us. It is we who at times go away without Him. However, our life without Jesus is simply impossible. All we need to do, in moments like that, is to go back and find Him once again and keep Him close in our lives. “And his mother kept all these things in her heart.”
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