“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.” (LK 2:46-47)
Have you ever stopped to consider how easy it is for us to change our mind but how difficult it is to change our hearts? Have you ever set your mind on purchasing a particular item online or in a store and have decided it’s the best, it’s the fastest, it’s on sale, it’s 50% off, it’s the greatest discount ever only to end up buying something different? We might have experienced a moment when there were so many choices to choose from that it was difficult to make a final decision. Research says on average we make about 35,000 decisions a day. That’s a lot of decisions. Have you asked God for help? Imagine being in the Temple hearing Jesus speak for the first time in a public setting. All those who heard him speaking in the Temple were astounded. They were amazed at the profound wisdom that came from the heart of this 12-year-old boy who spoke the truth with such eloquence and confidence that they couldn’t stop listening to him. Imagine listening to the voice of this sweet young boy speak with so much love about God, Moses, the prophets and the One who was to come into the world to redeem the house of Israel. Why did they change their minds so quickly about who Jesus was? He never changed his message. He consistently preached the Good News of forgiveness, God’s love for humanity and the mission of our salvation. How sad to consider that those who heard Jesus speak when he was twelve were probably the same teachers, scribes and elders who later questioned his relationship with the Father, diminished his authority, did not believe he was the chosen Messiah and would not accept he was the Son of God. He would and could only be in their minds the Carpenter’s son and the son of Mary, his mother. What an amazing thing to simply be a member of the Holy Family. To be a child of Mary and a child of Joseph. God, as we know is unchanging – he remains without change. God is loving, kind and merciful. God has always been loving, kind and merciful. He will never change. He will always love us. He will always be merciful and kind to us. Have you ever thought about how easy it is for us to change our minds about God in moments of trial? In difficult situations, we tend to question or doubt God’s presence or his love for us yet he never stops loving us. He remains with us in every moment, even in moments of trial. Let us pray for the grace that our relationship with God may be strengthen and that we may come to know and believe without a doubt in every moment and circumstance, that God truly loves us and he will never leave our side. God will never change his mind and he will never change his heart. He will love us forever.