[Deacon Gunther]
Today we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family. Honouring the child Jesus, and Mary most holy, and Joseph her most chaste spouse. We also celebrate your family, my family, and all families around the world.
A family forms a special bond within each other that occurs first between husband and wife when they administer the sacrament of matrimony upon each other. And then that special family bond continues to grow with the birth and nurturing of their children.
Today’s Gospel gives us a glimpse of that bond when Mary and Joseph panic upon discovering Jesus had disappeared. Only a parent can know what it is like if their child goes missing.
There is a story about a family on vacation who with their young son Billy went on a bus tour along the Niagara Parkway. At one point on the tour the bus stopped at the Floral Clock where everyone got out and admired the huge floral clock display. After about 10 minutes of taking pictures, everyone got back on the bus and headed for their next stop the Butterfly Conservatory. Along the way they enjoyed looking out the window at the beautiful gardens and Niagara River scenery. But when they all got off the bus at the Butterfly Conservatory the parents were shocked to find little Billy was missing. You can imagine how terror must have immediately gripped them. They had heard stories about little children being kidnapped. As the other passengers toured the conservatory the bus driver drove the parents back to their last stop the clock. And to their relief, there was Billy. He had been left behind, standing, marveling at the clock, wanting to see the big minute hand go fully around the whole hour. And listen to the musical chimes! Billy was so mesmerized he had not even noticed that he had been left behind. Billy did not look lost. He didn’t even know he was lost and he certainly didn’t think he was in any danger. After all, he was right where they left him, at the Floral Clock!
Sometimes you and I can also lose Jesus for a short period of time. We can get so busy in our daily routines that we never give him a second thought. Then, one day we may wake up and realize that he is gone, no longer a regular part of our lives. So, what do we have to do when that happens? We need to go back to the place we left him. We will find him ... (point to tabernacle) ... right here waiting for us.
In the Gospel we learn that the Holy Family traveled to Jerusalem for the festival of the Passover. It was the law that every adult male Jew who lived within 24 kilometers of Jerusalem must attend the Passover. By tradition, a Jewish boy was considered an adult when he was 12 years of age. So, at 12, Jesus, for the first time attended the Passover celebrations. You can imagine how the holy city and the Temple fascinated him.
The family traveled in a caravan, together with many other families because in those days it was the safest way to travel through the countryside. But when the caravan began the trip home, Jesus lingered behind. It took some time but as soon as Mary and Joseph realized that their son was not with the other children in the caravan, they panicked and began the journey back to Jerusalem. Only to find him in the Temple sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking questions, just like the other devoted students.
This is when Jesus began to realize that he was in a unique sense the Son of God. We know this because when Mary exclaimed “Your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety.” We hear Jesus’ voice for the very first time in the Gospel accounts, when he responded “Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” In other words, God his Father in this Temple. But his parents did not understand what he told them. So, he went home with them and “he was obedient to them”.
In our own lives we may recall those times when we struck out on our own. Perhaps the wisdom and the sacrifices that our parents bestowed on us, helped us to make our own way in the world, and we are grateful for that. The parents of Jesus made sacrifices to see that their son was raised in a house-hold of love and faith. Due to his upbringing, Jesus felt at home in the temple amidst the teachers and scholars of the law. Likewise, parents today undertake a tremendous responsibility in raising their children to be filled with love, with kindness, forgiveness, and faith. Have you thanked your parents for the sacrifices they made for you with regard to your Christian upbringing? Even if they are no longer with you it’s not too late to express a word of gratitude to them and to God for your faith today.
Even at a young age Jesus took the opportunity to explore his faith by seeking out wise leaders that he could question and listen to so he could grow deeper in knowledge. In the same way we shouldn’t be content with just the catechism we learned in our youth. But we should continue to find ways to increase our faith. Perhaps through reading scripture or attending spiritual retreats, bible study’s, small groups, or faith formation sessions.
Just as Jesus, Mary and Joseph worshiped God together with their faith community we too gather in God’s house with one another as the human family of God. And perhaps this would be a good reminder to visit those family members who were unable to join us at church this weekend.
The Holy Family is a shining example for all families to follow. Mary and Joseph could not provide the newborn Jesus with many material things. Yet what they had they lavished on Jesus; they gave him their love, gentleness, patience, and caring. Love transformed the stable, making it a source of light and hope. Just as love can transform every home, even the poorest, and make it a place where children can grow as Jesus did; in wisdom, love and grace.
So, like Joseph and Mary, you too can find Jesus when you’ve lost him. Where is he? In the same place Joseph and Mary found him, in his father’s house. For us his father’s house is here, this place. Not because this building is special, even though it is special for us. Not even because you people who come here are special, even though you are. No, we can find Jesus here because of his promise to always be here for us. We find him here when listening to his Word, when paying attention to what he says to us through the Holy Scriptures. We find him in the Holy Eucharist. We find him through all the blessed Sacraments and through the words of his preachers.
My friends when we are struggling with our Christian faith or losing our grip on Jesus, … (Point to altar) ... this is a place to come to find him again.
May God bless you and your families…
Now and in the New Year!
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