Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph
Gospel: Luke 2:41-52
A week after I made my first profession of vows, I moved from the quiet peaceful walls of our novitiate into the chaos of being a Sister-mom. My first official ministry as a Sister of the Holy Family of Nazareth was to serve as a residential child-care worker and to provide a home for seven children ranging in age from 4-12 years. Sister Eunice’s instructions were simply: “Make a home for them. Help them to know God and give them traditions they can hold on to as they grow.”
It sounds much like what Mary and Joseph were doing for Jesus as they continued the tradition of going up to Jerusalem for the annual feast of Passover. They made a point to note that Jesus, in this scene, was an adolescent. I recall my own resistance, during my teenage years, to do anything that had to do with keeping traditions and wondered if the twelve-year-old Jesus tried to push back! Regardless of what the conversation may have looked like, we know that Jesus accompanied Mary and Joseph to the temple, and once there, He entered fully into the experience, listening to the teachers and asking them to share their wisdom. He was so drawn into the experience that he remained there at the feet of the teachers for three whole days while Mary and Joseph just assumed he was caught up in the large caravan of people leaving the festival.
For Jesus, Mary and Joseph, this experience was a turning point. Jesus was coming into a deeper experience of himself and his unique mission, even while Mary and Joseph pondered, sometimes with great anxiety, what this might mean. There was comfort in hearing that even after this powerful experience, Jesus returned with Mary and Joseph to Nazareth and was obedient to them, advancing in wisdom, age, and favor. Perhaps, Sister Eunice took a bit of wisdom from the Holy Family: “Make a home for Him. Help Him to know his Heavenly Father and give him traditions he can hold on to as he grows”
Blessings,
Sr. Michele Vincent Fisher
