But in Jerusalem a bitter sadness
Comes to flood your heart like a vast ocean.
For three days, Jesus hides from your tenderness.
That is indeed exile in all its harshness!…
At last you find him and you are overcome with joy,
You say to the fair Child captivating the doctors:
“O my Son, why have you done this?
Your father and I have been searching for you in tears.”
And the Child God replies (O what a deep mystery!)
To his dearest Mother holding out her arms to him:
“Why were you searching for me? I must be about
My Father’s business. Didn’t you know?”
Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus
Why I Love You, O Mary! (PN 54), Stanzas 13-14
Right panel, the risen Christ appears to Our Lady
Rogier van der Weyden (Dutch, 1399/1400-1464)
Oil on oak panel, 1435
Gemäldegalerie, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin
Read more poetry by Saint Thérèse here
Leave a Reply