The Finding of Jesus in the Temple (William Holman Hunt, 1860)

Shalom!

As creatures of God, we are comforted by the steady rhythm of predictability in our daily routines and may earnestly work steadily to achieve our plans for the future. Living in our various cultures, we become accustomed, too, to patterns of behaviors, social customs, and ways of expression that reinforce harmony and personal exchanges. Our ways of being, individually and collectively, are handed down through the generations, manifesting as part of the greater experiential memory of our lives, our expectations of others, and the future. These orientations can form the fabric of our being and represent a vital part of our identity, setting the rhythm of our lifestyles and relationships.

But, on occasion, we may come across a person who challenges us to change our patterns of thoughts, expectations, and behaviors to reach our potential as God's unique creatures. The words of a spiritual teacher can quickly strike and break away our outer cast to reach our core and draw forth the essential, diverse elements that make up the spiritual attributes of our person. Broken out of our mold, we are forced to confront the truth about God, ourselves, and our purpose and to reorder our lives and our relationships with God and with others. By growing into a deeper union with Him, we can more brightly reflect Him to others.

In The Rosary for World Peace Oratorio, in the Fifth Joyful Mystery, The Finding of Jesus in the Temple, just such an event is memorialized. God The Father announces: The Lord thy God will raise up to thee a PROPHET of thy nation and of thy brethren like unto me. Him thou shalt hear (Dt 18:15). I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I shall command him. He that shall not hear his word, which he shall speak in my name, I will be the revenger (Dt 18:18-19). Jesus fulfills His Words by responding: Behold I come. In the head of the book it is written of me that I should do thy will: O My God, I have desired it, and thy law in the midst of my heart (Ps 39:8-9) . . . I will teach the unjust thy ways: the wicked shall be converted to thee (Ps 50:15).

In The Rosary for World Peace Oratorio, it is told in the New Testament that Jesus, then about twelve years of age, went to Jerusalem to celebrate the annual Pasch. After the festivities, His parents, Mary and Joseph, joined their relations to return to their home in Nazareth. After a day's journey, they discover Jesus is not with them.

Distressed, they go back to Jerusalem. They search for Jesus for three days. Finally, they find Him in the Temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, hearing them, and asking them questions (Lk 2:46). Mary was understandably upset, asking, Son, why hast thou done so to us? Behold thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing (Lk 2:48).

Jesus's sharp response marked a turning point. He evolves his role beyond that of their son and becomes their teacher, rightfully reordering their relationship with Him in God: He said to them: How is it that you sought me? Did you not know, that I must be about my father's business (Lk 2:49).

While Mary did not understand Jesus's response at that time, she kept all these words in her heart (Lk 2:51). And Jesus returned with them to Nazareth and was subject to them (Lk 2:51).

In this Mystery, we can contemplate the encounter of Mary with Jesus the Teacher. At a young age, He has accepted His destiny as the Son of God in the world. With confidence, He enters the Temple and interfaces with the highest doctors. There, the doctors of the Temple recognize they are encountering a rare person in Jesus.

When Mary and Joseph enter the Temple, Jesus makes it clear to them that He considers the Temple, not their house in Nazareth, to be His true home. Further, He turns and questions them regarding what manner they had sought Him: not why they sought Him, but how they went about seeking Him.

What was obvious to young Jesus was obscure to His parents. Although they had been told by the Angel Gabriel, Elizabeth, the shepherds, the Magi, and the prophets Simeon and Anna that Jesus was God-sent, now they had to confront the reality that their Son was emerging as prophesied. Jesus was not lost at all; He was found where He belonged: in the Temple, in the home of His Father.

This exchange marked a critical transition. Mary and Joseph now recognized that while they still served as Jesus's earthly parents, they were second to God's unfolding mission for their Son. This acceptance of God's will required sacrificial love on their part. They could choose to either dismiss the exchange that had occurred or to step into the mystical reality to fulfill their individual destinies as willed by God and gracefully gift Jesus with the freedom to fulfill His mission.

The doctors of the Temple, too, had a choice. They could not deny that a young man, of immense wisdom and unusual countenance, had entered into the heart of their sacred space and penetrated their thoughts: All that heard him were astonished at his wisdom and his answers (Lk 2:47). Young Jesus had caused a holy disturbance.What would the future hold for them and for Jesus? What roles were they destined to play in each others' lives? Would they choose to acknowledge the Presence of God in their lives in the person of Jesus or dismiss the Presence of God they had encountered?

We also can contemplate how we experience the forceful, agitating Presence of God, penetrating our time and space. It can be startling and unpleasant to have our routines, expectations, and patterns of thinking disrupted. It can be painful to have our relationships examined and changed, even if it is for our own benefit.

But once God's Truth is encountered, it becomes difficult to resist. Like Mary, we hold thoughts deep in our hearts. The spiritual seed that is planted soon grows, continually reflecting in our souls and discerning the degree of harmony between ourselves and God.

We may ask ourselves if the central beat of our lives is centered in ourselves, in another person(s), in our families; or in our careers and hobbies; or in our true home within the heartbeat of God. Like Mary, we can ponder in our hearts if we are receptive to the mirror God has brought before us, which may lead us to break our routines and reorder our thinking and our relationships to recenter our life patterns on Him.

In The Rosary for World Peace Oratorio, Jesus sings: Blessed is the man that heareth me . . . He that shall find me, shall find life, and shall have salvation from the Lord: But he that shall sin against me, shall hurt his own soul. All that hate me love death (Prov 8:34-36). Jesus is clear in the choice He presents. Will we respond to God's call? Or, are we to resist God's invasion into our domain.? Will we coast along with others and comply with the rigidity of human custom, as expected, or live more thoughtfully and act boldly, according to the promptings of the Word and precepts of God, even if it disturbs others? Which consequence will we choose?

May we be blessed with the knowledge that, like Jesus, we are rooted in God: our natural home is in Him and with Him. May we trust that His loving intervention for us will ultimately lead us to His unending source of vitality and joy. His sweet liberty gives us the power to throw off the trappings of the world and the choice to evolve into a more perfect reflection of Him. Centered in God, and with the grace of fortitude, we can confidently choose to open wide the doors of our hearts to fulfill the unique purpose God has willed for each of us. 

The Rosary for World Peace

 . . . be part of the PEACE!

*Scripture verses are from The Holy Bible: Douay Rheims version. www.drbo.org

© 2013 Exposition Management International 

                                Starry Night, Vincent Van Gogh, 1889

Shalom!

The Presence of God is experienced in many personal ways, but sometimes also by many people simultaneously. When the Presence of God is revealed to many people at once, there is an awe-filled acknowledgment that an event of great importance has occurred. One such event is expressed in the Third Joyful Mystery: The Birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, when the birth of Jesus is marked simultaneously in the heavens and on earth.

In The Rosary for World Peace Oratorio, God The Father announces: Bethlehem, a Little One among the Thousands of Juda: Out of thee shall He Come Forth Unto Me That Is To Be the Ruler in Israel (Mich 5:2). The Angel of The Lord proclaims: A STAR SHALL RISE Out of Jacob; A Sceptre shall Spring Up from Israel (Num 24:17).

The great star is seen by people far and near. They watch in awe, realizing something universally important is occurring. Mary and Joseph sing, The Stars have Given Light in their Watches, and Rejoiced (Bar 3:34) .

Archangel Michael astutely cautions, Rejoice Ye before Him: But The Wicked shall be Troubled at His Presence, Who Is the Father of Orphans, and The Judge of Widows (Ps 67:5-6).

Satan throws down the gauntlet, when he learns of the birth of Jesus, responding: Hell below is in an Uproar to Meet Thee at Thy Coming, it has Stirred Up The Giants for Thee (Isa 14:9). The Rebellious Angels join with Satan: All the Princes of the Earth are Risen Up from their Thrones, All the Princes of Nations (Isa 14:9).                                                     

But Jesus is undeterred. With authority, Jesus rebukes Satan and the Rebellious Angels: Every Knee shall be Bowed to Me, and Every Tongue shall Swear (Isa 45:24). Jesus is supported by God The Father: They shall Fight against Thee, and shall Not Prevail: For I Am With Thee to Deliver Thee (Jer 1:19).

We can consider how we would react to experiencing a heavenly visitation: In the fields, shepherds were keeping the night watches over their flock, when, behold an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the brightness of God shone round about them; and they feared with a great fear (Lk 2:9).

The Angel announces, Fear not; for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, that shall be to all the people: for this day, is born to you a Saviour, Who Is Christ The Lord, in the City of David (Lk 2:10-11). This shall be a sign to you: You shall find the Infant wrapped in swaddling clothes, and laid in a manger (Lk 2:12). While the appearance of the Angel was astounding, he was not alone: Suddenly, there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army, praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the Highest; and on Earth Peace to Men of Good Will (Lk 2:13-14).

When the heavenly army returns into heaven, the shepherds immediately respond, Let us go over to Bethlehem, and let us see this Word that is come to pass, which the Lord hath shewed us (Lk 2:15) and they came in haste; and they found Mary and Joseph and the infant, lying in a manger (Lk 2:16).

Do we have the same sensitivity and courage as the shepherds to follow the instructions of an angel? Do we have the faith to believe in the Word of God and immediately change our course to journey to Him?

Hence, from the beginning of Jesus's birth, the spiritual world is divided between those who choose to follow the instructions of heavenly angels and those who don't; those who oppress the widow and poor and those who defend the widow and the poor; those who are consumed with individual benefits and those whose generosity of spirit reaches to the ends of the earth; and those who act destructively to manifest war and chaos and those who act affirmatively to bring forward justice and peace.

The shepherds chose to proceed in haste to journey to Bethlehem in search of the prophetic Child in the Manger. They found Him and marveled at what they saw; and seeing, they understood the Word that had been spoken to them concerning the child (Lk 2:17).

Poor and unassuming, charged with the dangerous work of defending the flock of their master, the shepherds were chosen to be among the first to welcome the newborn Christ Child, the Word become Flesh, who was born among them. This same Child would become in one Person both the Sacrificial Lamb and the Master Shepherd, the defender and protector of all the people of the world for generations to come.

As a result of their encounter, the shepherds were undoubtedly changed forever. They returned to their pasture, Glorifying and Praising God, and All the Things they had Seen and Heard, as It was Told to them (Lk 2:20). And Mary, Jesus's mother, reflected on the unexpected arrival of the shepherds and what they told her they had seen and heard, pondering them in her heart (Lk 2:19).

Like Mary and the shepherds, we too can ponder upon the unexpected encounters of the Presence of God in our lives and the unexpected challenges His Presence brings to our earthly journey. If we are receptive to His Presence, we will no longer live for ourselves: we will recognize that we are participating in a greater symbiotic exchange between heaven and earth, and we will choose to emulate Jesus, as both His sacrificial lambs and good shepherds.

With the awe and humility of Mary and the shepherds, we can allow our lives to be transformed by the awesome Presence of God and all It represents. By opening ourselves to the unexpected encounters, journeys, and roles He has planned for us, we can become His shepherds, Glorifying and Praising God (Lk 2:20) along the way.

The Rosary for World Peace 

 . . . be part of the PEACE!