December 15th

The Finding of Jesus in the Temple

[I would just like to note that this post is being beamed into the Internet from the STATE OF TEXAS! WOO!]

To bring another memory of explanations given in religion classes at St. Anne's for the occurrences of Bible stories, this was a big one that got a lot of explaining. In a way, it's nice to see that taken seriously as a problem. We believe that this actually happened, yes, not some elaborate metaphor for losing Jesus and finding Him back at the temple. So how did that go down exactly?

And the story is that groups travelled back then with Women and Children separate from Men. I always imagined two entirely separate caravans with a gap between them. Now I think about it, that strikes me as a supremely dumb way to travel in a bandit-laden road. Wouldn't the men ringing the enclosed circle be a better battle plan? If nothing else for safety?

Of course, with age again, this whole business started to make more sense. There weren't separate caravans, making Mary and Joseph's meeting at the end of the first day a big reveal that Jesus had travelled in neither group. Men and women and children certainly would have traveled in one big amorphous group, but we've all seen the splitting up neatly. Especially if Joseph did have to do a tour of "guard" or at least "looking tough" duty Mary might have imagined that Jesus was coming along on to learn the ropes (being thirteen).

When I was younger, I couldn't quite imagine a loving mother and father making this mistake - barring some huge and comical miscommunication about which entirely separate traveling group the Holy Family would have divided itself between. Now that I've had a go at juggling ten thousands balls at once (it feels like at times), especially in travel situations I totally get it. Of course your child is the most important ball you are juggling and of course that is your top priority. But when you have ten thousand going, the most immediate can become mistaken for the most important and even the really important balls you'd like to think you keep in your hand at all times often are the ones to drop by the wayside.

Especially if you have a partner you can trust to pick up the slack, I can see even the most vital ball, even the only child, falling by the wayside. Communication is key to parenting!

But this metaphorical step in the faith journey, seen through Mary, isn't what I usually think about - why didn't they check the Temple first or learning that you always know when to find God when you think you've lost your connection to Him.

One think I still agree with that the religion teacher explained about this story (and I don't disapprove of any of the explanations given by my religion teachers, they dealt with a lawyer's kid with a lot of grace) is that Mary and Joseph weren't going to the Temple because they suddenly had an idea where He would go (as dramatized in most movies about the life of Christ or Mary that I have seen), they were going to pray for help finding their lost son.

We've all seen - and probably lived - this story. We let our daily devotions or our charitable obligations or just our attempt to truly connect deeply with God go for awhile. Because we're busy (I love the first Screwtape Letter for precisely this, the story of how demons don't debate the big issues anymore, just distract their corruptible human with something shiny or remind them how busy they are), we let our relationship with God suffer. We do it in human relationships too. Then when we get into a dark place, when we realize that God is not with us, protecting and loving us the way He was (because we're always mixing up cause and effect), we go into a tailspin. We may not even recognize that as the problem. At our lowest, we cry out to God again: help me, my God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Why did you leave me?

Our Cry: "Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you!"

His Answer: "Why were you searching for me? Didn't you know that I had to be in My Father's house?"

We knew where to find Him. He was right outside the door, waiting for us to knock.

Even when His parents did not understand what He was trying to tell them, how God never leaves you but you leave Him, He returned home with them and was obedient to them. Even when we do not understand what He really means for us, when we return to God He is always there waiting. He has been waiting for us, every time we stray.

The distractions do not change God's proximity to us. But when we stop paying attention to them or assume that someone else has that part of God's Work covered, we can lose Jesus and drive ourselves to the point where we demand of Him why He left us.

We left Him. Even Mary.

But God so loved the world that He sent His only Son. Do we really think He is not still waiting for us right where we know (if we would bother to think rather than indulging our panic and our thoughtless busyness) to find him.