«Did not they know that I should be in my Father's desitions?»

BIBLICAL TEXT: Luke 2, 41-52

1.- READING : What does the text say? Bible study.

This is the Sunday of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. With Christmas, we leave behind the liturgical season of Advent, and we begin to walk the "octave of Christmas"; eight days to celebrate the joy of the birth of the Son of God.

The reading of this day, of the Gospel of Saint Luke, presents us the scene of Jesus among the doctors of the Law, or known as "the child lost and found in the temple". The gospels give us a lot about the public life of Jesus, about his words, gestures, and teachings, but not about his childhood or adolescence. The gospel that we have just read has the singularity of being one of these few passages that refer to Jesus as a child, without being recognized as the Messiah.

The author tells us that his parents went every year on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem for Easter. The family of Jesus was pious, they observed the Law as good Jews. Since the Torah prescribed that every Israelite should appear in the temple for three great feasts: one of them the Passover. It was questioned whether women were forced to make the pilgrimage. For children, the obligation came into force as of the thirteen years of age. This means that Jesus, and his parents go to Jerusalem not for a mandate or moral obligation, but they choose to go, they become pilgrims.

Something unexpected happens on the return trip. Jesus does not leave with them, but stays in Jerusalem. His parents realize only at the end of the first day of the return of the pilgrimage. It was clearly possible for them to suppose that their son was somewhere in the grand retinue, among those of his age or friends.

His parents waited for him at night, but Jesus does not appear. Here begin moments of great anxiety, and worry for José and María. The evangelist says that at the end of three days they found him in the Temple.These three days can mean; the day they marched north, the other day they needed to return and, finally, the third day they met Jesus. Although also the three days have a great symbology; the three days that will elapse between his death and resurrection.

These were days of suffering for the absence of Jesus, dark days whose severity is perceived in the words of the mother "Son, why have you done this to us? See that your father and I were looking for you in anguish. " The feelings of the parents of Jesus are revealed, we also think of the fatigue that their bodies wear after walking, and of looking for it for three days.

Jesus' response to his mother's question is impressive: "Why did they look for me? Did you not know that I must be in the affairs of my Father? " Jesus clearly expresses his divine filiation, is the Son of God, and speaks of the "duty" to which he abides: to be in the affairs of his Father. St. Luke describes the reaction of Mary and Joseph to the words of Jesus with two statements: "They did not understand what He told them," and "His mother kept all these things in her heart." The word of Jesus is too big at the moment. The faith of Mary is a faith "on the way", although she does not understand the words of her son, she keeps them in her heart, that place that makes them mature little by little. "Jesus grew in knowledge, in stature and in grace before God and men." After the moment in which he had made shine the greatest obedience in which he lived, Jesus returns to the normal situation of his family: to the humility of the simple life, and to obedience to his parents.

Where did Jesus' parents go each year? Why? How old is Jesus in this story? What happens to Jesus when they return to Jerusalem? What do your parents do when they notice the absence of Jesus? How long does it take to find it? Where it was? What was Jesus doing in the Temple? How did the listeners react? What does Jesus say to his parents? How do they react to these words? Where does Maria keep all these situations? In what way was Jesus growing?

2.- MEDITATION : What does God tell me in the text?

Let's ask ourselves some questions to go deeper into this Word of Salvation:

Have I ever felt that God "misled" me in my experience of Christian life? What things make God seem "lost"? How and when do I seek God? Do I think with sincerity what motivates me to look for it? Did she act like Mary, who goes out in search of her Son only out of love? Where do I find the Lord: in other people, in prayer, in the weak? Do I look for the Lord in these places, or indifferent step? Do I really understand that Jesus is always close, even if he seems lost? Do I understand that the "lost" is often me, because of my attitudes or works "? What does it mean to keep things in one's heart? Do I try to bring this attitude of Mary to my daily life? What should I save there? What am I carrying in my heart today? If I analyze my life of faith, have I grown in the eyes of God, in wisdom, in greatness, and in grace? And if I'm stuck or going through a difficult situation, I ask the Lord to give me the strength to get ahead?

3.- PRAYER : What do I say or tell Go

To pray is to respond to the Lord who speaks to us first. We are wanting to hear his saving Word. This Word is very different from what the world offers us and it is time to say something to the Lord.

Lord Jesus:

That you lived as a family with María and José. Today I want to ask you for my family, so that you make yourself present in it and be your Lord and Savior. Bless my loved ones with your infinite power. Protect them from all evil and from all danger. Do not let anything or anyone hurt you and give them health in the body and in the soul. We need you, Jesus, among us. Fill our home with your peace, your joy, your love. Pour out your love so we can talk, understand, help, so that we learn to accompany and sustain us on the hard road of life. Give us bread and work. Teach us to take care of what we have and share it with others. I also want to thank you, Jesus, for my loved ones, for the beautiful moments we had, and for the good things we have. Mary, good mother, Your presence also we need. Do not let us miss your tenderness and your protection. Jesus, Joseph and Mary, beautiful community of Nazareth, help us to live as a family. Amen.

We make a moment of silence and reflection to respond to the Lord. Today we give thanks for his resurrection and because it fills us with joy. We add our prayer intentions.

4.- CONTEMPLATION : How do I internalize or internalize the Word of God?

For the moment of contemplation we can repeat this verse of the Gospel several times so that it may enter our life, our heart. We repeat this phrase of the Gospel several times so that it may enter our heart: «His mother kept all these things in his heart» (Verse 51) And so, we are asking the Lord to be witnesses of his life and his resurrection so that others may believe.

5.- ACTION : What do I commit myself to or with God?

There must be a remarkable change in my life. If I do not change, then, I'm not a true Christian.

If I am alone, I read the readings carefully. Today the Lord invites me to seek him always and everywhere. I will commit myself to be a servant, and a testimony of love in the midst of my family. Concrete works, wash the dishes, serve the food, or do the tasks that no one to carry forward.

In the group, we commit ourselves to be a Church illuminated by the image of the Holy Family. We will carry out a Holy Hour or day of prayer for the families, presenting the intentions of the families of the community, and praying for so many difficult and painful family situations that surround us.