First Reading
1 Samuel 1:20-22,24-28 (The first reading from Cycle A may also be chosen,
Sirach 3:2-6,12-14.)
Hannah dedicates her son, Samuel, to the Lord.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 84:2-3,5-6,9-10 (The psalm from Cycle A may also be chosen, Psalm
128:1-5.)
Those who dwell in the Lord's house are happy.
Second Reading
1 John 3:1-2,21-24 (The second reading from Cycle A may also be chosen,
Colossians 3:12-21)
We are God's children now.
Gospel Reading
Luke 2:41-52
The boy Jesus is found in the Temple.
Each year Jesus' parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover,
and when he was twelve years old,
they went up according to festival custom.
After they had completed its days, as they were returning,
the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem,
but his parents did not know it.
Thinking that he was in the caravan,
they journeyed for a day
and looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances,
but not finding him,
they returned to Jerusalem to look for him.
After three days they found him in the temple,
sitting in the midst of the teachers,
listening to them and asking them questions,
and all who heard him were astounded
at his understanding and his answers.
When his parents saw him,
they were astonished,
and his mother said to him,
"Son, why have you done this to us?
Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety."
And he said to them,
"Why were you looking for me?
Did you not know that I must Background on the Gospel Readingbe in my Father's house?"
But they did not understand what he said to them.
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.
Background on the Gospel Reading
Today we celebrate the feast of the Holy Family. This feast is part of the
Christmas season, and we should place today's Gospel in the context of
what Luke's Gospel tells us about the birth of Jesus. Luke has been
answering the question "Who is Jesus?" through his stories of the births
of John the Baptist and Jesus. Today's Gospel reading continues this
theme. It has no parallel in the other Gospels and is the conclusion of
Luke's Infancy Narrative.
Mary, Joseph, and Jesus are presented in this Gospel as a faithful Jewish
family. They are participating in the annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem for
the feast of Passover, an event shared each year with family and friends.
When Jesus is found, Luke describes him as seated in the Temple in the
midst of the Jewish teachers. Although he is young, Jesus seems not to
need teaching about his Jewish tradition. In his dialogue with these
learned teachers, Jesus astounds them with his insight and understanding.
Jesus is a child of Israel. His Father is God.
The dialogue between Mary and Jesus contains many references to family
relationships. In fact, in this Gospel reading Mary and Joseph are never
identified by name. Instead they are referred to by their relationship to
Jesus. Ultimately, this emphasizes Luke's point about the identity of
Jesus. When Mary and Joseph find Jesus in the Temple, they question Jesus
and express their anxiety. Jesus replies in words that many have thought
to be disrespectful. Jesus says that he was never lost; he was at home.
Jesus is God's Son, and he is in his Father's house. Luke will continue to
suggest that faith in Jesus establishes new family relationships as he
describes Jesus' public ministry
Today's Gospel describes a time of anxiety in the life of Jesus' family.
We can imagine their panic and worry as they discovered that Jesus was not
with the caravan returning to Nazareth. The Holy Family journeyed with
family members and friends because traveling alone was dangerous. When
they found Jesus at the Temple, Jesus spoke like a typical adolescent,
unsympathetic to his parents' concern. Yet his words teach an important
lesson about reducing anxiety in our family life. In essence, Jesus says,
"If you had remembered who I am, you would have known where to find me."
In their panic, Mary and Joseph had forgotten what had been told to them
before Jesus' birth, that their son was the Son of God. Knowing a person
well helps reduce our anxieties for them because we can better predict how
they will behave, and we know their capacity to handle the challenges life
might present to them.
As you gather as a family, have fun playing the game "How well do you know
me?" Take turns trying to stump one another by asking family members
questions about yourself, such as "What is my favorite memory of a family
vacation?" "Given a choice, what dinner menu would I pick?" "If I could
travel anywhere in the world, where would I go?" One member of the family
might prepare and read the questions aloud as each person writes down the
answers. Family members then take turns guessing the answers, playing this
game as a quiz show. Observe that one thing about families is that we
learn to know each other well.
Sources: Loyola Press; Sunday Readings
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment