(Audio)
It is likely that Mary and Joseph, humanly speaking, wouldn't have voted for a story about losing track of Jesus to commemorate their family life. And yet...
After they had completed its days, as they were returning,
the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem,
but his parents did not know it.
The reality of family life, even within the Holy Family where two thirds of the members are perfectly without sin and the third is called a just man, even there we find challenges. We may imagine that the Holy Family wants us to know this. We are not alone in dealing with anxieties about family life.
Jesus leads the Holy Family in the direction of a new perspective on what family is all about.
And he said to them,
“Why were you looking for me?
Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”
Family life is about mutually enabling and empowering dedication to God, to the Father's house. We receive one another from God but we must offer one another back to him. We need to insist less on our control and to rely more on God's grace.
I prayed for this child, and the LORD granted my request.
Now I, in turn, give him to the LORD;
as long as he lives, he shall be dedicated to the LORD.
The family is the place where we learn "heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience". We learn the art of "bearing with one another and forgiving one another". It often does involve teaching and admonishing one another. But it begins with the word of Christ dwelling richly in our hearts. If we "do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him" we accept our own limitations. We sometimes lose track of Jesus amidst the chaos. But as long as we return to his Father's house we find him again. At that very moment we find our families stronger and more holy than ever.
He went down with them and came to Nazareth,
and was obedient to them;
and his mother kept all these things in her heart.
And Jesus advanced in wisdom and age and favor
before God and man.
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