Feast of Holy Family (C)

 Feast of Holy Family (C) [Lk 2:41-52]

26.12.2021

The Finding of the Boy Jesus in the Temple

Readings: (1) Sir 3:2-6.12-14 (2) Col 3:12-21

1.  Theme in brief

Our family’s mission

2.  Focus Statement

A Christian family is called to constantly seek and find God by giving absolute priority to do his will and fulfilling his mission. 

3.  Explanation of the text.  

At the age of twelve when Jesus became a ‘man’ and a ‘son of the law’ according to Jewish tradition, he went to Jerusalem with his parents for the festival of the Passover for the first time (2:41-42). When his parents returned from there, they did not know that the boy Jesus had stayed behind in Jerusalem (2:43), since men and women used to return in separate groups. Joseph must have thought Jesus was with Mary and vice versa, or in the group of travellers (2:44). When they realized that he was lost, they searched for him frantically (2:48). They did not find him in the company of his relatives and friends or among the pilgrims’ caravan (2:44). After three days they found him not in the expected places but in the Temple among the teachers of the law listening to them with humble submission and asking them questions as the one who had the authority (2:46). Maybe Luke was hinting here how believers would find him later on in the new temple of his own resurrected body after three days of his crucifixion and death.

As his mother saw Jesus, she asked for the reason why he treated them like that, because his father and she had been searching for him with “great anxiety” (2:48). These words “great anxiety” imply that they were looking for him with deep mental pain or trauma or with great distress. But Jesus in his reply took the word “father” from his mother’s mouth and said: “Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house” (2:49)? Thus, he indicated that now he had another “Father” besides Joseph, that is, his true “Father” in heaven. He wanted to let his parents know that he had to do his heavenly Father’s will more than his earthly father’s will. He must have meant that it was time for them to understand that he could not remain attached to his natural family but go out to do his Father’s mission (2:49). He was slowly becoming aware of his own unique relationship to God. He hinted at the fact that he was not only son of his parents but was in a unique sense the Son of God. His mission extended beyond their house to his Father’s house (2:49). His priority was to be faithful to God’s mission. He had come to do his heavenly Father’s business rather than continue his father’s (Joseph’s) business (= carpentry).

Since Jesus was both human and divine, he was a paradox. Although Joseph and Mary were parents of Jesus, in a way both of them were his disciples. They were unaware of his full identity and divine mission in the beginning. That is why Luke tells us that they did not understand what he said to them (2:50). They had to learn from him about this truth. But Mary treasured the words of Jesus regarding his mission to be in his Father’s house (2:51). As she did not understand those words immediately, she pondered over their meaning. Gradually she came to know its implications.

In spite of Jesus’ identity and status as the Son of God he went down with them to Nazareth and was obedient to them (2:51). Luke tells us, although he was the Son of God, he was subject to his earthly parents. Finally, he states that Jesus was not only increasing in wisdom and in years but also in divine and human favour (2:52). In other words Jesus was not only growing physically, but also was becoming increasingly conscious of his divine and messianic mission.

4.  Application to life 

Today as we celebrate the feast of Holy Family, the gospel passage gives us a glimpse of the family-values and attitudes Christian parents and children need to imitate from the Holy Family of Nazareth. What we observe in today’s text is Joseph and Mary’s parental love, concern and care for their child and the surprise of Jesus at their concern. Any of the parents who have lost a child and are not finding it will understand the inner trauma of Joseph and Mary when Boy Jesus was lost. They searched for him with great distress and mental agony because they thought they had failed in the responsibility and duty entrusted to them by God to care for their child. In other words, they were troubled not only because they were afraid that they lost him but also they did not take care of him. Sometimes, parents might ‘lose’ their children in a literal or symbolic sense. In some parts of the world the former happens when they join terrorist or other criminal outfits or are kidnapped by such groups and disappear from home or get killed in action. The latter happens when parents observe their children losing character or moral and spiritual values. We know there are parents who suffer a great distress and mental trauma like Joseph and Mary, if they ‘lose’ their children in delinquent, criminal and addictive behaviour such as alcoholism and drug abuse. In traditional families of some regions, when children contract illegal/ illicit/ civil marriages outside their racial/ caste/ ethnic/ religious communities, parents experience a loss of their family’s ‘honour’ or good reputation in their society.

Today’s gospel-message motivates parents to go on anxiously searching for their lost children until they are found. They are to imitate the intensity of love and anxiety with which Joseph and Mary went in search of their lost child hoping to find them even against all hopes. The finding of Jesus in the temple after an anxious search is an example of hope for Christian parents for finding their lost children, and not losing them forever. In case they do not find them, they are not to despair; instead, surrender their hopeless situation to God in faith and offer the ‘lost child’ into his hands. In such traditional families there is a temptation to disown or excommunicate the ‘lost child’ from the family ‘for ever’. But I have observed in my pastoral field this ‘for ever’ does not last for ever in most cases. After all, ‘blood is thicker than water’. Once the initial shock and mental agony gradually subside, many of them learn to reconcile stage by stage. After all, parents need to come to the realization that such children are not ‘items’ to be discarded when not useful, but are one’s own flesh and blood to be loved even though they have gone astray. They need not agree with all their choices and actions but need to extend arms of compassion in spite of their faults when the first shock becomes less intensive gradually. They should hope against hopeless situation, and wait for the day when they will be found. Though in some cases they may never be found, the hope of finding them will sustain their parents. Leaving the matter in God’s hands and surrendering one’s worries to him is the only way to gain peace of mind. Alternately, children also may be tempted to consider their old and infirm parents as ‘items’ to be discarded. Today’s feast reminds them that they have an obligation to repay the love and care they received from their parents when they were helpless by birth.

In the given text, we also notice how his parents react when they ultimately find him after undergoing a mental trauma of three days, and how Jesus expresses his love for his parents. If many of the parents today had found one of their teenage children staying away from home for three days without any information, they would have burst out. But knowing very well the sensitivity of the matter for a teenage child, Mary and Joseph ask gently, “Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety” (2:48). Jesus too explains to them with love and respect, his own God-given mission. He respects their anxiety as parents, but at the same time firmly makes them understand his own destiny. He cannot remain in their ‘lap’ forever. For him God’s work or doing his will take priority over family ties. This is a good lesson for parents to understand and accept the uniqueness of their children. The Holy Family must have gone through some tension regarding Jesus’ role in his family as the son of his parents and his role as the Son of God. Jesus had a strong sense of destiny. He knew that his Father had a plan for him and he went about doing his Father’s work. After gradually understanding the identity and divine mission of Jesus they must have allowed him to commit himself to his Father’s business.

Besides generation-gap, there are enough reasons why tensions between parents and children arise in modern age, especially with children of the age of Jesus (that is, teenagers). Modern children are well versed in all the intricacies of computer, mobile phones and internet, much more than their parents. Quite often parents have to depend on their children or get tuition from them about the correct use of these things. But listen to what the gospel says. In spite of his identity and status as Son of God Jesus went down with them to Nazareth and remained obedient to them until he began his public ministry. He could have overruled them. We understand from Jesus’ attitude that children, however intelligent they may be, should obey their parents. Nowadays we observe that in some families parents ‘obey’ their children instead of children obeying parents. I mean, parents are controlled by their children. Though parents may not have all the knowledge and intellect of children, they surely have more experience – especially they have the experience of their own past mistakes from which they have learned to become wiser. Children need to respect their experience and feelings in these matters. Like Jesus, children are called to be obedient to their parents even when they fail to understand their genuine intentions. Parents too have an obligation to see that their children grow up both in “divine and human favour” as Luke states in today’s gospel (2:52). They have a responsibility towards both the human (intellectual) and spiritual development of their children.

Worse than ‘losing’ children in above-mentioned ways is losing Christ himself in our families – a situation which cancels our claim to be called a “Christian” family. Christian parents are called to imitate the intensive spiritual (religious) atmosphere prevalent within the Holy Family and to be faithful to their spiritual duties. In our families, we must constantly seek and find Christ, especially whenever we lose him. Like him, in our families we too must give absolute priority to do God’s will and to fulfilling his mission. Like Jesus, who became gradually aware of who he was and what was his destiny, we too have to discover God’s plans in our family. Mary and Joseph searched three days for Jesus, and on the third day found him. But our search for Jesus in our family doesn’t end in three days. We need to seek him and find him continually in all the ups and downs of family life as well as in its joys and sorrows till the end of our life. The question is whether we are as seriously concerned about committing ourselves to our heavenly Father’s business, or are concerned only about our earthly business or family business.

If we have lost Christ we must turn back again and again to the place where we had lost him and trace our steps back to our first love. In our family relationships we need to find out how and why we have abandoned the first love we had for each other as spouses, for children as parents and for parents as children (cf. Rev 2:4-5). Our search for him will continue in our daily dying to our selfishness and rising to genuine love till we ultimately find him in our heavenly home. Those who seek him in the sorrow of ‘Good Friday’ will find him in their joy of ‘Easter’ – symbolically mentioned as finding Jesus after ‘three days’ just as he rose from the dead in three days. Do we have the courage and conviction to proclaim and live this ‘Paschal mystery’ or the mystery of our faith in our families?

5.  Response to God's Word

Do we give priority to establishment of Christ’s gospel-values, such as genuine love for one another, care, concern, sacrifice and forgiveness in our family? Do we anxiously search for erring and ‘lost’ members of our family until we find them? When they do not return do we lose hope and abandon them? Do we understand and accept the uniqueness of each child in our family? Do we seek for the Lord and his holy will in our families, or seek only for material needs? What are our attitudes towards the aged, elderly, sick, bedridden, widowed and disabled members of our family? Are they properly taken care of, or neglected?

6.  A prayer

Jesus, by your birth in the Holy Family of Nazareth, you have sanctified the families of those who diligently search for you in the ups and downs of family life. Grant us the grace to seek and find you continually in all the ups and downs of family life as well as in its joys and sorrows till the end of our life. Give us the necessary patience, tolerance, compassion, committed faith and unshakable hope that we may go on seeking after our lost children until we find them. We resolve to commit ourselves to our heavenly Father’s business, and resist our tendency to be concerned only about our earthly business. Amen.