2nd Epiphany 2007, Time to Develop

2^nd Epiphany

Luke 2, 41-52

Christ Among the Doctors, unknown

Every year his [Jesus’] parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover. And when he was twelve years old, they took him with them. Now after they had gone there and fulfilled the custom during the days of the feast, they set off on their way home. But the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know this; they thought he was among the company of the travelers. After a day’s journey they missed him among their friends and relations. When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to look for him.

After three days they found him in the Temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And those who heard him were amazed at his mature understanding and his answers.

And when they saw him, they were taken aback, and his mother said to him, “My child, why have you done this to us? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.”

And he said to them, “Why did you look for me? Did you not know that I must be and live in that which is my Father’s?”

But they did not understand the meaning of the words he spoke to them. And he went down with them again to Nazareth and followed them willingly in all things.

And his mother carefully kept all these things living in her heart. And Jesus progressed in wisdom, in maturity and grace [favor] in the sight of God and man.

2^nd Epiphany

January 14, 2007

Luke 2: 41-52

Whenever we travel, we experience many new things. Encountering the new is stimulating. Sometimes what we encounter strikes such a deep chord of resonance in us that it is life-altering. When we return home we are someone different.

Pinturicchio

In the Gospel reading, the twelve-year-old Jesus travels to Jerusalem for the Passover. For Him the journey is profoundly life-altering. He recognizes the temple as His spiritual home. There is a deep resonance, not only for Him, but also for those who are there. They notice that here is someone remarkable.

Yet from this peak experience, he goes down again to His much humbler home in Nazareth, with his devoted parents who clearly don’t understand what has happened to Him.

One can think of this scene as a picture for what sometimes happens in a human life. And we can see the players as parts of a single human being: the young boy as that eternal part of ourselves which is nevertheless ever evolving; the mother as our own soul, who worries, searches, seeks to understand, remembers and ponders; Joseph as the father in us who does his best to guide and protect, only to find control slipping out of his hands; and God, the divinity who calmly observes our development and bestows his blessings.

The story could have been different: Jesus could have been so overtaken by His reception in Jerusalem and the depth of His own conviction of calling that He could have been tempted, as many a youth has, to break away from his family and remain there. But it would have been too soon. Some deep wisdom, His love for his parents, some practice of self-submission guides Him back home where He can quietly ripen in the cocoon of Nazareth.

Not all early promise needs to manifest fully right away. Things need their time to develop. God will guide our eternally young selves in the ways we need to go on our journeys. And when we return to our true home, we too will be different, having progressed in wisdom, in maturity and in grace. 

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