Don't Lose Sight

A Reading from the Gospel according to Luke
     Each year Jesus’ parents went to      Jerusalem for the feast
     of Passover, 
     and when he was twelve years old, 
     they went up according to festival custom.
     After they had completed its days, as they were returning, 
     the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem, 
     but his parents did not know it.
     Thinking that he was in the caravan,
     they journeyed for a day
     and looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances, 
     but not finding him,
     they returned to Jerusalem to look for him.
     After three days they found him in the temple, 
     sitting in the midst of the teachers, 
     listening to them and asking them questions, 
     and all who heard him were astounded 
     at his understanding and his answers.
     When his parents saw him,
     they were astonished, 
     and his mother said to him, 
     “Son, why have you done this to us?
     Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.”
     And he said to them,
     “Why were you looking for me?
     Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”
     But they did not understand what he said to them.
     He went down with them and came to Nazareth,
     and was obedient to them; 
     and his mother kept all these things in her heart.
     And Jesus advanced in wisdom and age and favor
     before God and man.

     I have a love-hate relationship with the holiday season. I love the moments of Advent and Christmas when I get to soak up reflecting on the Incarnation, Holy Family and humility of God, but I hate the stresses that come with shopping, cooking, baking, hosting and general pressure to be everywhere and do everything. There always seems to be an imaginary rope tied to me, pulling me in two different directions: to an adoration chapel/interior time to pray or to a party/cookie-swap extravaganza/store to buy a last-minute gift. 

     It’s in these moments that I relate to Our Lady and St. Joseph in this upcoming week’s Gospel. Between the hustle and bustle of the Passover festivities and the caravan full of relatives and acquaintances, their minds are in a million places causing them to believe Jesus is with them when He actually stayed in Jerusalem at the temple. How often do I do the same - allowing the craziness of the holiday season to turn my attention away from Jesus?

     So often we think of Mary and Joseph as the epitome of perfection when it comes to parenting due to the fact Our Lady was born without the stain of original sin and St. Joseph had special graces given to him to take on the role of being Jesus’ foster father. They were, in this sense, perfect… but this perfection doesn’t mean they understood God’s will for them with clarity. That also doesn’t mean that they didn’t need to be taught by Jesus to grow ever-deeper in relationship with God. 

     Mary questions Jesus, “Why have you done this to us?”  Jesus didn’t rebuke her or get angry with this question (“Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”), but rather saw it as an opportunity to make His already holy family even holier. 

     The fear of God’s anger or disappointment is one we know well, because our fallen human nature inclines us to think God will react the way we as humans do. My dear friends, the beauty of the Incarnation we are celebrating this season allows us to realize that this idea of God being disappointed in us couldn’t be anywhere further from the truth. In our weakness, anxiety and loss of focus, it is God who ushers us in closer and shows us the way to grow in holiness and return our focus to Him.

     In this season of parties, to-do lists and anxieties, let the Lord take control of your plans and reveal ways you can be taught to love Him more deeply. 


About the Author: Nicole Jones is the Digital Media Manager of the Diocese of Baton Rouge, after recently transitioning from her role as Coordinator of Youth and Young Adult Ministry (Red Stick Catholics) at the Diocese of Baton Rouge. Nicole grew up in Baton Rouge and started getting involved with ministry after experiencing a deep conversion of heart at a high school bible study at Our Lady of Mercy parish. During her time as a mass communication student at LSU, Nicole became more involved with Christ the King Catholic Church and Student Center. It was there that she felt the Lord tugging on her heart to dive deeper into ministry and apply for her previous position at the Diocese. It is that same tugging that inspired her to apply for her new role as Digital Media Manager. When Nicole isn’t working, she can be found spending time with her dog, Indy, and baking the world’s best chocolate chip cookies. 

Learn More About Red Stick Catholics

The Well is a weekly reflection series from Red Stick Catholics that was created to allow young adults from the Diocese of Baton Rouge to reveal how God is speaking to them through prayer and Scripture. Each reflection contains the upcoming Sunday’s Gospel, a reflection written by a young adult from the Diocese of Baton Rouge and prompts for how to pray with the Gospel and reflection during the week.