In the Fifth Joyful Mystery, we contemplate the loss and the finding of the Child Jesus in the temple.
From the Gospel of Luke (2:41-47)
Now every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the festival of the Passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up as usual for the festival. When the festival was ended and they started to return, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it.
Assuming that he was in the group of travellers, they went a day’s journey. Then they started to look for him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for him. After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.
When his parents saw him, they were astonished; and his mother said to him, ‘Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety.’ He said to them, ‘Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?’
Commentary by Symeon the Metaphrast
The Virgin mentions Saint Joseph as an adoptive father, but Jesus takes the opportunity to refer to His true Father, who is God. This passage teaches that Mary’s gaze must rise from earthly things to heavenly ones. By remaining in the temple, Jesus shows that love for God must be stronger than the natural love we feel for our parents.
Meditation 1
“Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” This was Jesus’ response to His mother after three anxious days of searching, when she found Him in the temple.
These are the first words of the Incarnate Word recorded in the Gospel. With them, Jesus sums up His person, life, and mission. They reveal His divine filiation and testify to His supernatural mission. Christ’s entire life will be a grand explanation of the meaning of these words.
Saint Luke goes on to tell us that Mary “did not understand what he said to her”. Although she did not grasp the full meaning, Mary knew that Jesus was the Son of God and therefore, she silently submitted herself to the divine will, accepting the sacrifice that her love required.
“Mary kept all these words in her heart,” where, as in a tabernacle, she adored the mystery contained in them, awaiting the light of understanding.
Meditation 2
How many have lost Jesus and do not live as afflicted as they should! Many believe in God’s existence but live as if He did not exist. There are no religious objects or images in their homes, and the thought of God never crosses their minds, let alone the love of God or neighbor. They live for themselves, as if they would never die, and they run the risk of dying without ever having truly lived.
The path to authentic human life is through Jesus, because He is the only Way, the Truth, and the Life. Only those who spread happiness around them are truly happy. Individual happiness is a reflection of good performance in society and personal fulfillment. Those who are not useful to others have no purpose.
A Catholic in name only is someone who has “lost Jesus in the temple”, in other words, has stopped participating in the Sunday Mass. Therefore, the place where he or she has lost Jesus is the place where He can be found again. Without the Eucharist, there is no Church; without the Church, Christ disappears from the face of the earth.
Prayer
Lord Jesus,
just as your anxious parents searched for You in the temple,
we too seek Your presence when we feel lost on the path of life.
Help us to remember that the real encounter with You
happens when we turn our hearts to Your house,
to Your Word, and to Your Eucharist.
Give us the grace not to live as if You were far away,
but to recognize You in every moment,
in every gesture of love and service to others.
May our love for You be stronger than any earthly attachment.
May we know how to listen to your voice and follow Your path.
Mary, Blessed Mother,
who kept the words of your Son in the silence of your heart,
teach us to accept God’s will,
even when we do not fully comprehend His plans.
May we, like You, always trust and keep the faith in every circumstance of our lives.
Lord, rekindle in us the desire to seek You always,
and that in finding You, we may be renewed
in the love, peace, and joy that only You can give us.
May we never lose the certainty that You are the Way, the Truth, and the Life,
and that only in You we find true happiness.
Amen.
Fr. Jorge Amaro, IMC