Sunday Gospel Luke 2: 41-52
THIS Sunday we celebrate the feast of the Holy Family.
In our gospel reading we heard about Luke’s account of Jesus being lost and later found in the Temple with the elders. Jesus was only twelve but I can imagine his desire to know about who he is. He went with his parents and probably most of his relatives to Jerusalem but after the festivities when everyone was returning home including his parents, Jesus stayed behind.
Imagine the fear Mary and Joseph experienced after knowing they have lost their child. After three days, they finally have him. Mary said to Jesus, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.” But Jesus replied, “Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?”
The Family is a mystery. According to Cardinal Tagle, “The wounds may come from the family, but it is also the family that becomes the source of comfort and healing.” Today we celebrate the feast of the Holy Family. Cardinal Tagle earlier emphasized the mystery of the family as both the source of our wounds and healing. He even referred to the family as the “home of the wounded hearts.”
“Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.” One Bible commentator wrote that signature of Jesus' life before his baptism was silence. He lived an ordinary life, did what ordinary people do growing up. He was a Jew, faithful to his religion, his family, and his work. Jesus lived as we live. That silence of his early life emphasizes his solidarity with our human condition. Then this one journey to Jerusalem for Passover broke that silence, allowing us to see a glimpse of Jesus as a child before his baptism.
How has God broken through the daily routine of your life to show himself? Did you recognize God?
Speaking about families, I think the Holy Family reminds us that holiness is not found in doing ordinarily extraordinary things but in doing extraordinarily ordinary things. And what makes it extraordinary is when it is done out of love.
Pope Francis in one of the catechesis he gave said that "Please, thank you and sorry" are the three words that he "would write on the door of every family home" as they are the key to living well and in peace both inside and outside the home. They are simple words, much easier to say than to put into practice, but "they contain great strength: the strength of protecting the home, even through a thousand difficulties and trials; instead, when they are lacking, cracks gradually open up that can even lead it to collapse."
He asserted that "These three key words for the family are simple words, and perhaps at first they make us smile. But ... perhaps our education neglects them too much. May the Lord help us to restore them to their rightful place in our heart, in our home, and also in our civil co-existence.” Say it more often, “Please, thank you and sorry!”
We are entering a new year. Jesus gave us a glimpse of who He is in our gospel today. It surprised Mary and Joseph but it pointed out what is coming. We also need to seek God’s will. What we may find might surprise us. But it will lead us to real joy and hope. May the Good Lord bless all of us this coming year.
Now, sit comfortably and take a few moments to pray in silence for this coming year. What do you seek and ask for from God? You can write down all your thoughts and keep them in a safe place. Review them next year at this time. You will be surprised. God will surprise you.