"I must be in my Father's house"
Luke 2: 41-52
The Word for Sunday: http://usccb.org/bible/readings/123018.cfm
We priests are constantly searching for good homily material.
In the ordinary events of life, we often find them.
About thirty years ago one Sunday after the last Mass and the
usual coffee and donut fellowship, I said my “goodbye” to the largest family in
the parish who had 15 children of various ages from young adult on down to the
youngest who was a little girl about two years old at the time. Yes, 15 children and all from the same set of
parents with no twins!
Well, after they left, we suddenly noticed that out of the
restroom comes their little two year old girl on the verge of tears looking for
her mother! Everyone knew who she was
and casually stated: “O, they’ll be back soon to get her.” One of the women stood by the child and sure
enough, within about ten minutes, her mother came rushing into the hall with a
smile and a tone of embarrassment said, “Sorry, we thought she was in the other
car.”
She bent down, gently picked up her daughter and quickly left
the room with a laugh and wave. Everyone
took this in stride without any real concern. I stood there not quite sure how
to interpret this humorous family scene. One could understand how in the midst
of their family chaos and shared responsibility such a thing might happen.
I’m
sure there was a bit of family discussion among the older siblings as to who
was supposed to care for her.
Later I thought what great homily material that moment would
make. Sure enough, our Gospel this
Sunday on this beautiful Feast of the Holy Family provides us with a very human
scene. It reveals not only ancient
Jewish culture but also how holiness is lived out in the everyday realism of
life.
Jesus is twelve years old, the age of transition from being
raised primarily by his Jewish mother and the company of women, responsible for
his education and formation, to enter the world of adult men under the tutelage
of his father. It would not be uncommon for a twelve year old Jewish boy to no
longer seek the company of women as when younger but to now join the men and to
learn from them certain skills and trades.
Yet, in the familiar Temple scene we see both parents who are
filled with anguish and deep concern after not finding Jesus for three days.
Perhaps Mary may have assumed Jesus was now among the men of the caravan
returning to Nazareth after Passover celebrations.
Not finding him there, they both return in a desperate search
for three days. Mary’s comment to Jesus on finding him, more of a scold we
might imagine, as to “Why have you done
this to us?” is met by Jesus’ somewhat naïve remark: “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my
Father’s house?” This seems on one level to be a bit dismissive of his
parent’s obvious anguish. In fact, Mary and Joseph were puzzled by Jesus
remark. His mission is yet to mature
both in his own awareness and that of Mary and Joseph. Still, in the end, Jesus submits to their
authority and returns with them to Nazareth where he continues to advance in wisdom and favor before God and man.
This reveals how human a story this is; how ordinary with all
the parent and child dynamics of growing up and learning to adjust to one
another’s positions and responsibilities.
As God embraced humanity in its fullness, except for personal sin, he
even accepted a limited human understanding that needed to mature. Yet, it is far more than just a personal
family story from the life of the young Jesus; about the only thing we know for
certain of his formative life during the Nazareth years.
In our first reading from Samuel we see that Hannah, beyond
child bearing years, has been praying for a son. God answered her prayer and she gave birth to
a son whom she named Samuel. Filled with
gratitude, she makes an oath to dedicate Samuel to God at a young age. She returns to the Temple, at this time at
Shiloh, and the priest Eli. There she
leaves the young Samuel at the Temple in service to the Lord. Unlike the mother I described at the parish
and Mary and Joseph in the Gospel, Hannah leaves the child rather than taking
him.
But, the point is that these are parents who knew their life
was focused around the Lord in whose plan they had participated. Hannah’s sees the bigger picture beyond
herself as where that child should truly be; in service of God. We all have a place and our mission in life
is to know where God is calling us and to carry that out. To know this and to do it is holiness.
For Mary and Joseph, they knew what God asked of them yet not
all. They lived a life with Jesus in
which God remained the center of their identity in obedient practice as
faithful Jews. In spite of their lack of
full understanding at times, the gradual awareness of their mission and even
more of their mysterious child, they still walked in lives of trust and love and
remained faithful.
For the young Jesus, he too needed to come to an awareness of
his identity and what his Father was asking of him. How the mystery of God is at work in these
scenes seems a combination of both human limitations and Divine plan but isn’t
that what in the end we all are facing?
Jesus had understood that he had a greater call beyond his own
earthly family life yet he submitted to the authority of his parents. How and where we learn and work out our place
in God’s plan is both a combination of human experience and Divine intervention
for us.
Mary and Joseph knew that Jesus was human yet mysterious. The entire purpose of his mission was hidden
from their understanding as well but they carried on. They remained consistent in their faith,
following what had been revealed to them and trusting in a plan that was still larger
than themselves. It is clear their
holiness, and ours, lies in this. For
Mary, Joseph, Hannah, and Jesus himself God was the center of it all.
The same call is here for all families. How many couples on the day of their wedding
know what their future will be? As organized and predictable as we may try to
arrange our lives, we must live with the reality that life provides very few
guarantees. If we order our lives with
God at the center, all will go as planned.
For this Holy Family, proper worship was essential and to see
themselves as connected to the larger Jewish tradition gave them direction and
purpose; so for us in the Church and our connection to the larger picture. To participate in a cause greater than
ourselves, God’s plan for each of us is the path to holiness.
May we be holy through lives of faithfulness in the state of
life we find ourselves even when we find ourselves in doubt. Let God be center stage and allow him to
direct the action. That is a path to be holy in our Father’s house.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God for ever and ever.
(Collect of Mass)
No comments:
Post a Comment