Quiet Obedience

 

  Lk 2:41-51a

The Boy Jesus at the Temple

⁴¹ Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover. ⁴² When he was twelve years old, they went up to the festival, according to the custom. ⁴³ After the festival was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. ⁴⁴ Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. ⁴⁵ When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. ⁴⁶ After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. ⁴⁷ Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. ⁴⁸ When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.”

⁴⁹ “Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” ⁵⁰ But they did not understand what he was saying to them.

⁵¹ Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart.

As we celebrate the Solemnity of Saint Joseph, Spouse the Blessed Virgin Mary we take moment to reflect on his quiet, faithful obedience to the call to marry a pregnant Mary and stand in as the foster Father of her Son, Jesus. He went through his moments of doubt  and dilemma, but remained faithful and strong in his role as foster father to the Son of God. He worked hard to find work in that poor area of Palestine and as a good father, trained his son as a carpenter. Can we picture father and son going off to find work in the poor hamlets around Nazareth?  And earlier when Jesus was a baby, trudging off to Egypt and settling there? Joseph's strength of character, will and fidelity stands as a call to us to do, as Mary put it, "whatever he tells you." Joseph is the Patron of the Universal Church, he is the patron of each one of us, he is our "foster father". May we learn quiet obedience and fidelity  to God's plan from him.

Bro. Rene

Dear Saint Joseph, continue to guide God's Family today as you guided  and provided for your Holy Family. Amen.