Dear friend:

In these Christmas days, Subjects•evangeli.net is contemplating the life of Jesus through the Joyful Mysteries:

. "The Annunciation" and / or "The Incarnation of the Son of God" (read more).

. "The Visitation of the Virgin to her cousin Elizabeth" (read more).

. "The Birth of Our Lord” (read more).

We address the 5th Mystery (we do it in 2 parts) and reserve the comment on the 4th for the "Presentation of the Lord" feast (February 2nd).

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The "The finding of Jesus in the temple" is the "surprise mystery": Jesus disconcerts everyone. For the first time, He consciously and explicitly manifests - with words and deeds - his divine condition ... For Him, moreover, those were days of indescribable joy: for the first time He entered the Temple, the house of his Father, being conscious of it. And, in fact, He stayed there ... (read more).

1st) "Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover" (Lk 2,41). The family of Jesus - the Holy Family - is practising and observer of the Law (read more). Their generous piety stands out: Saint Mary and Saint Joseph -the two, wife and husband! - went up to the Temple every year, never missing that appointment (it wasn’t an obligation for women and children). That meant "renouncing the Child" leaving him a few days - almost two weeks - with someone of trust in Nazareth: for Virgin Mary that was a huge sacrifice!

2nd) "When he was twelve years old, they went up to the festival, according to the custom" (Lk 2:42). The joy of Virgin Mary is easy to understand: the whole Family united could finally go on a pilgrimage and She did not need to leave Her Son behind to go to Jerusalem. However ....

As we see, Jesus was educated in the religion of his parents. It is logical! What language did Jesus Christ speak? The one of his parents. What food did He eat? The one of his parents. What religion did he practise? The one of his parents. Years later, Jesus Christ founded another religion (read more). But could He have founded the Christianism if his parents had not taught him to pray as a Jew?

3rd) "The boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it" (Lk 2,43). The fact that his parents didn’t notice it is no mystery: what we do not understand is why Jesus did not warn them. Evidently, He was aware of what He was doing and what would happen ... Why did He do it? That’s a big mystery! After all: He is God and He is in his "House" for the first time, with full knowledge of it (read more). And He makes the most of it to "grow" by asking and debating with the doctors of the Law. A child in the midst of the doctors (cf Lk 2,46): something unprecedented and unimaginable! It is God and, nevertheless, His most holy Humanity makes its way to maturity. He wants to advance like any other human: praying, studying, asking ...

4th) "After three days they found him in the Temple" (Lk 2,46). Staying within the mystery, we begin to glimpse the shadow of the Sepulcher: Virgin Mary will experience what it is to live with "Jesus disappeared" for three days (read more). She would discover it little by little, but God was already preparing Her for when the "hour" came (cf. Jn 12,23, Mt 26,45)

Fr. Antoni Carol i Hostench

(General Coordinator of evangeli.net)