Michael Golrick

Remember and treasure all of your experiences.

I started attending St. Alban’s in about 2017 after having been involved in the recovery community. I have helped in hospitality (with Teresa Samaha) through the pandemic years, and enjoy service as a reader and a Eucharistic Minister.

"Every year Jesus' parents went to Jerusalem for the festival of the Passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up as usual for the festival. When the festival was ended and they started to return, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. Assuming that he was in the group of travelers, they went a day's journey. Then they started to look for him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for him. After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, "Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety." He said to them, "Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?" But they did not understand what he said to them. Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. His mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor."

Luke 2:41-52

Click here to read the appointed scripture for Thursday in the Fourth Week of Lent.

Devotional

I had a hard time picking a single portion of this reading to consider. I found three very different concepts presented with which I identified.

Perspective is important. When a young man, I was often very arrogant, and identified with the young, seemingly arrogant Jesus. The retort to Mary, “Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?” was the way I often felt when challenged. I have important stuff to do. I am a thinker, and need to think the deep thoughts. (I like to think I have outgrown this attitude.)

Then, there is my experience as a parent. Losing sight of your child in a crowd can be stressful. My children were all fair-haired, and readily find-able in a crowd in the multi-cultural city in which they grew up. Then we went on vacation ... and to the beach ... in Holland, Michigan – spotting them quickly in the crowd was much more difficult and there were some initial moments of panic. A very different perspective!

Finally, the gospel writer Luke, was reportedly a confidant of Mary, and today, as we go through Lent and prepare for Easter, I am reminded of the importance of the penultimate sentence “His mother treasured all these things in her heart.” I believe that this is what we are called upon to remember – all of our experiences as we prepare for redemption.