A HOME FOR THE FATHER | The Word Exposed with Cardinal Tagle (December 29, 2024) with SL

A HOME FOR THE FATHER | The Word Exposed with Cardinal Tagle (December 29, 2024) with SL

We are celebrating today the feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. And our Gospel reading narrates how Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem and later was found by Joseph and Mary. The family attended the Passover festival, but after the celebrations, St. Luke tells us, the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. We can imagine the anxiety of Joseph and Mary upon realizing that they had lost their son. They returned and looked for him for three days. They eventually found him in the temple. sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them, and asking them questions, which astounded those who heard him, including his parents. Jesus' reply to his mother's question has generated much discussion. Some consider it disrespectful, but it can teach us that when we feel that we have lost Jesus, we can find him in the Father's house. Let us remember his words, did you not know that I must be in my father's house? Or Jesus might be praising Mary and Joseph, who have taught him to seek the father's house.