On the feast of the Holy Family, it is tempting to compare our own families to the family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Luke’s narrative of the twelve-year-old Jesus in the temple is not a warning for parents to watch their children closely while traveling. The story looks forward to the time Jesus would be “lost” in the tomb after his crucifixion. Just as his parents found him on the third day, so Jesus would rise from the dead on the third day. And Jesus’ remark, “I must be in my Father’s house” (Lk 2:49) gives us a hint at who is Jesus’ family.
Luke was well aware that the Temple was considered God’s dwelling place. To call it his Father’s house showed that Jesus was the Son of God. Like Jesus, we call God our father, and like Jesus, we are part of a larger family than the one we live with.
But remember Jesus was 12 in this part of the gospel. His duty to God included being obedient to his parents. We, too, have a tension between obedience to our parents and following God’s call, a tension between taking care of our children and giving time to God’s children in the church and the community. Let us ask God to help us appreciate what our family obligations really are. Tom Schmidt, Diocesan Publications
