Today's feast has overtones of the feast of Mary's Son, in his Sacred Heart. Mary's heart, however, is described as 'immaculate'. Mary was, from the very moment of her conception, totally free from sin that she might provide a worthy home for her Divine Son, Himself also free from all taint of sin. In describing her 'heart' we are really describing Mary herself, who all through her life was a perfect disciple of her Son and His Father. At every stage of her life, she accepted what God wanted from her. In today's Gospel, we see her going through a very painful experience, when her Son, still only a boy, gives the first indication that He has a calling of His own which will bring Him away from His family. The passage has surely been chosen because at the end it tells us that, after they returned to Nazareth, Mary treasured all these experience 'in her heart'. Let us, too, imitate Mary in reflecting on all our experiences, both happy and painful, and see in them the hand of our loving Lord.