From: Luke 2:41-51a
The Finding in the Temple
The Hidden Life of Jesus at Nazareth
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Commentary:
41. Only St Luke (2:41-50) reports the event of the Child Jesus being lost and
then found in the temple, which we contemplate in the “Fifth Joyful Mystery” of
the Rosary.
Only males aged twelve and upwards were required to make this journey. Naza-
reth is about 100 km (60 miles) from Jerusalem as the crow flies, but the hilly
nature of the country would have made it a trip of 140 km.
43-44. On pilgrimages to Jerusalem, the Jews used to go in two groups — one of
men, the other of women. Children could go with either group. This explains how
they could go a day’s journey before they discovered the Child was missing when
the families regrouped to camp.
“Mary is crying. In vain you and I have run from group to group, from caravan to
caravan. No one has seen him. Joseph, after fruitless attempts to keep from cry-
ing, cries too.... And you.... And I.
‘Being a common little fellow, I cry my eyes out and wail to heaven and earth...,
to make up for the times when I lost him through my own fault and did not cry”
(St. J. Escriva, “Holy Rosary”, Fifth Joyful Mystery).
45. The concern which Mary and Joseph show in looking for the Child should
encourage us always to seek Jesus out, particularly if we lose him through sin.
“Jesus, may I never lose you again.... Now you and I are united in misfortune
and grief, as were united in sin. And from the depths of our being comes sighs
of heartfelt sorrow and burning phrases which the pen cannot and should not re-
cord” (”Holy Rosary”, Fifth Joyful Mystery).
46-47. The Child Jesus must have been in the courtyard of the temple, which
was where the teachers usually taught. Listeners used to sit at their feet, now
and again asking questions and responding to them. This was what Jesus did,
but his questions and answers attracted the teachers’ attention, he was so wise
and well-informed.
48. Ever since the Annunciation our Lady had known that the Child Jesus was
God. This faith was the basis of her generous fidelity throughout her life — but
there was no reason why it should include detailed knowledge of all the sacrifi-
ces God would ask of her, nor of how Christ would go about his mission of re-
demption: that was something she would discover as time went by, contempla-
ting her Son’s life.
49. Christ’s reply is a form of explanation. His words — his first words to be re-
corded in the Gospel — clearly show his divine Sonship; and they also show his
determination to fulfill the will of his Eternal Father. “He does not upbraid them —
Mary and Joseph — for searching for their son, but he raises the eyes of their
souls to appreciate what he owes him whose Eternal Son he is” (St Bede, “In
Lucae Evangelium Expositio, in loc.”). Jesus teaches us that over and above any
human authority, even that of our parents, there is the primary duty to do the will
of God. “And once we are consoled by the joy of finding Jesus — three days he
was gone! — debating with the teachers of Israel (Lk 2:46), you and I shall be left
deeply impressed by the duty to leave our home and family to serve our heavenly
Father” (St. J. Escriva, “Holy Rosary”, Fifth Joyful Mystery”). See note on Mt 10:
34-37.
50. We must remember that Jesus knew in detail the whole course his earthly
life would take from his conception onwards (cf. note on Lk 2:52). This is shown
by what he says in reply to his parents. Mary and Joseph realized that his reply
contained a deeper meaning which they did not grasp. They grew to understand
it as the life of their Child unfolded. Mary’s and Joseph’s faith and their reverence
towards the Child led them not to ask any further questions but to reflect on
Jesus’ words and behavior in this instance, as they had done so on other occa-
sions.
51. The Gospel sums up Jesus’ life in Nazareth in just three words: “erat subdi-
tus illis”, he was obedient to them. “Jesus obeys, and he obeys Joseph and Ma-
ry. God has come to the world to obey, and to obey creatures. Admittedly they
are very perfect creatures — Holy Mary, our mother, greater than whom God a-
lone; and that most chaste man Joseph. But they are only creatures, and yet
Jesus, who is God, obeyed them. We have to love God so as to love his will and
desire to respond to his calls. They come to us through the duties of our ordina-
ry life — duties of state, profession, work, family, social life, our own and other
people’s difficulties, friendship, eagerness to do what is right and just” (St. J.
Escriva, “Christ Is Passing By”, 17).
Jesus lived like any other inhabitant of Nazareth, working at the same trade as
St Joseph and earning his living by the sweat of his brow. “His hidden years are
not without significance, nor were they simply a preparation for the years which
were to come after — those of his public life. Since 1928 I have understood clear-
ly that God wants our Lord’s whole life to be an example for Christians. I saw
this with special reference to his hidden life, the years he spent working side by
side with ordinary men. Our Lord wants many people to ratify their vocation du-
ring years of quiet, unspectacular living. Obeying God’s will always means lea-
ving our selfishness behind, but there is no reason why it should entail cutting
ourselves off from the normal life of ordinary people who share the same status,
work and social position with us.
“I dream — and the dream has come true — of multitudes of God’s children, sanc-
tifying themselves as ordinary citizens, sharing the ambitions and endeavors of
their colleagues and friends. I want to shout to them about this divine truth: If you
are there in the middle of ordinary life, it doesn’t mean Christ has forgotten about
you or hasn’t called you. He has invited you to stay among the activities and con-
cerns of the world. He wants you to know that your human vocation, your profes-
sion, your talents, are not omitted from his divine plans. He has sanctified them
and made them a most acceptable offering to his Father” (St. J. Escriva, “Christ
Is Passing By”, 20).
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Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.
Liturgical Colour: White.
First reading |
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2 Samuel 7:4-5,12-14,16 © |
The Lord will give him the throne of his ancestor David |
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Responsorial Psalm |
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Psalm 88(89):2-5,27,29 © |
Second reading |
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Romans 4:13,16-18,22 © |
Abraham hoped, and he believed |
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Gospel Acclamation | Ps83:5 |
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Gospel |
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Matthew 1:16,18-21,24 © |
How Jesus Christ came to be born |
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Alternative Gospel | Luke 2:41-51a © |
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Mary stored up all these things in her heart |
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