Scripture depicts the slightest sliver of Jesus’ early life. The timeline zips from babe to the beginning of his public ministry at thirty-three — with only ‘the finding in the Temple’ in between.

For years I was confused about this passage, and was stuck wondering how Jesus could leave his parents without telling them. It seemed irresponsible and hurtful — leaving Joseph and Mary in great anxiety. I’m not a parent, but I can imagine the panic that would grip my heart if I thought I’d lost my child. I imagine that it would escalate if my child was the Son of God.
​
In response to Mary’s understandable concerns, Jesus gave an answer that initially perplexed me. Even Mary, who is without sin, didn’t comprehend her sons words, “Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” No scolding follows — no apology, no real resolution. All that we read in scripture is that Jesus returned with them, was obedient to them, and continued to grow.

What is this about? Why was this event in Jerusalem chosen from the many childhood moments He lived in Nazareth? After doing some digging, I gained some valuable insight into what is going on beyond the surface here (thanks to ‘Word on Fire’). Let’s step back and list the key points:

• Christ travels to Jerusalem for the Passover
• He is missing, separated from his family for three days
• The situation appears to be cause for distress, but it is actually part of the Father’s plan and mission
• Mary is reunited with Jesus after the third day

Whoa. Now it is clear that this story prefigures a very specific later time — Jesus’ death and resurrection. Only Mary and Joseph witness this foreshadowing, and it's possible that God meant for it to be prophetic and personal — perhaps so Mary could have a foretaste of the reunion with her son that she could hope for and experience on earth after His resurrection.

Why is this Gospel important for us within the Octave of Christmas? It reminds us that, even as a child, Jesus was ‘set apart’ for a particular mission. We hear the words of Old Testament prophets during Advent, and New Testament events that fulfilled many of the prophecies as we reach Christmas Day; now Jesus gently points toward the great and necessary sacrifice of love He will accomplish in following the Father’s will. This passage tells me that He doesn’t want to leave us in the dark — He gives us hints and guesses at what is to come.

Let us Pray:
Jesus, when I am confused, please grant me the grace to ponder Your words and actions in my heart, and to treasure them as Mary did. Help me to remember Your deepest identity and Your all important mission, and in this joyful season of Christmas, teach me to imitate You in doing the Father’s will. Amen.

Kendra Chisholm

​Recently, I’ve been attending some parenting courses geared towards working with children’s behavioural challenges. I’ve come to appreciate that if I want my children’s behaviours to change, I have to change the way I engage them. Their behaviours and the relationship that I have with them, are greatly impacted by the way I engage with them. For me, this has meant approaching every challenge with a more positive tone and language, being sure to reinforce the positive behaviours, even when it can seem difficult to see them. By doing this, we have witnessed an improvement in our relationships.

Paul’s reading to the Colossians seems difficult, too. When I read it, I feel like God is asking too much of me. Paul’s instruction to the Colossians makes me feel like I’m being asked to attain a perfection I am not capable of attaining. I’ve come to appreciate that forgiveness is something I struggle with. When someone is genuinely apologetic towards me, I am much more willing to forgive. In the past, when I’ve been asked by others to forgive them, what helped me to overcome the challenge to forgive, was the personal understanding that Jesus died on the cross for my sins. How could I seek His forgiveness if I wasn’t willing to forgive those who hurt me? But where I really struggle to forgive, is with those who have hurt me, but aren’t seeking my forgiveness. Either they do it without knowing the impact of their actions, or they don’t care. These are the people who are not asking for my forgiveness, but whom God also wants me to forgive.

If you have been following Dynamic Catholic’s advent preparation video series, the message on day nineteen (Dec 20th) was all about moving forward — not only in our spiritual journeys, but also in our relationship with God. In a personal testimony, Melissa Gillie leaves us with a great quote, “Nothing is neutral to the soul”. How we approach our relationships can either move the relationship forward or hinder the relationship. At home, when I changed my behaviours, the children’s behaviours also changed and the relationships improved. When I become more intentional about how I approach my relationship with God, it too, improves.

If I look at Paul’s letter to the Colossians as a tool to help me continue moving forward on my spiritual path, my relationship with God, and my relationships with others will grow. If I can begin to work toward forgiveness rather than expecting myself to do it all at once, perhaps that won’t seem so difficult either.

Let us pray that in this new liturgical year, we can try to be more intentional about bringing compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness and patience into our relationships with others.

​Tammy LeBlanc

There is no better time than now to focus on the Holy Family as we continue to celebrate the birth of Christ.

Blessed is the fruit of the womb of Mary. The same spirit which came upon Mary, came upon every mother. All children have been created by God. It is through the Spirit of God that we have been created. Think about that! Like Mary, who brought Jesus into the world, we too are commissioned with the legacy of bringing Jesus into the world with our every thought, word, and deed.  
​
"You shall eat the fruit of your handiwork."

As I ponder what that line could mean, I’m reminded that the fruit of the Holy Spirit is Love️, therefore the fruit of our handiwork has to be love. When we are motivated by love to respond to life’s opportunities, we can’t fail. The works of our hands become blessed by God and bears much fruit.  

Family is under great attack at this time in history. People have walked away from believing in God and are being lulled into submission by the internet. Just try to set boundaries around your teenager’s use of their phone or tablet and you will experience great resistance and even rage.  We have replaced real family time with FaceTime.

​"Behold, thus is the man blessed who fears the LORD."

‘Fear of the Lord’ is having a sense of respect and awe and reverence of God, and discerning His will for us in our daily living. It’s not easy to put God’s will first, but in doing so, the Holy Spirit affords us the peace that only comes from being and living in the grace of God.