By Fr. Robert J. Carr
©Catholic Online 2005
The story of finding Jesus in the Temple is one that I think strikes everyone who has ever lost a child at an event. Having run youth trips and family trips I know the feeling of missing someone from your count. When someone is missing there is panic. (Once I lost a whole family in New York City. They got lost at St. Patrick's Cathedral and we did not discover this until we were at Times Square.) Finally, the basic rule is: "the worst case scenario is when you are missing one. "
So here Mary and Joseph are missing one, their own son and when they find him they are upset. But what is Jesus' response? "Why did you worry?"
I think of this in light of his whole life. It is as if he is saying "Did you not believe when you learned that I am the Messiah? How can you possibly lose me? My Father is watching out for me always. Why did you not trust?"
Jesus' is constantly teaching us to trust him. Stop living in fear, stop worrying. Fear and worry are of this world, not of His Kingdom. Trust in him at all times. Yet, trust from the eternal perspective, trust that his mission is to bring us salvation, not riches. Trust that his mission is to bring us into his kingdom, not make us kings in this world. Trust, trust, trust.
I think ninety-percent of my ministry is based in teaching people to trust in God. It is the hardest thing to do. Too many are focused on what they think God should do in response to our problems, instead of what God should actually do in response to our problems. Trust, Trust, Trust. That is the role of the Christian.
Catholicism Anew
http://www.catholicismanew.org
MA, US
Fr. Robert J. Carr - parochial vicar, 617 542-5682
frbobcarr@earthlink.net
Temple, trust, Jesus, Mary, Joseph
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