Yesterday was the feast of the Holy Family. I know I am a day late on this, but I felt it was important to separate this from all the other Christmas posts that were being thrown up all around.
Smarter people than I have posted about this feast and the meaning behind the readings. But I want to give my own little take. Here is the Gospel Reading:
41 And hisparents went every year to Jerusalem, at the solemn day of the pasch. 42 And when he was twelve years old, they going up into Jerusalem, according to the custom of the feast, 43 and having fulfilled the days, when they returned, the child Jesus remained inJerusalem. And his parents knew it not. 44 And thinking that he was in the company, they came a day's journey and sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance. 45 And not finding him, they returned into Jerusalem, seeking him. 46 And it came to pass, that, after three days, they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of thedoctors, hearing them and asking them questions.47 And all that heard him were astonished at his wisdom and his answers. 48 And seeing him, they wondered. And his mother said to him: Son, why have you done so to us? Behold your father and I have sought you sorrowing. 49 And he said to them: How is it that you sought me? Did you not know that I must be about my father's business? 50 And they understood not the word that he spoke unto them. 51 And he went down with them and came to Nazarethand was subject to them. And his mother kept all these words in her heart. 52 And Jesus advanced in wisdom and age and grace with God and men. --- Luke 2:41-52
The Catena Aurea has some interesting commentary. I will post some of the finer points below and then my commentary will be below that. [All Catena Aurea material is from
Catechetics Online]
AMBROSE; Or the twelfth year was the commencement of our Lord's disputation with the doctors, for this was the number of the Evangelists necessary to preach the faith.
THEOPHYL; But some one will ask, how was it that the Son of God, brought up by His parents with such care, could be left behind from forgetfulness? To which it is answered, that the custom of the children of Israel while assembling at Jerusalem on the feast days, or returning to their homes, was for the women and men to go separately, and the infants or children to go with either parent indiscriminately. And so both Mary and Joseph each thought in turn that the Child Jesus, whom they saw not with them, was returning with the other parent. Hence it follows, But they, supposing him to have been in the company, &c
THEOPHYL; To show that He was a man, He humbly listened to the masters; but to prove that He was God, He divinely answered those who spoke.
CHRYS. The Lord truly did no miracle in His childhood, yet this one fact St. Luke mentions, which made men look with wonder upon Him.
ORIGEN; Let us then also ourselves be subject to our parents. But if our fathers are not let us be subject to those who are our fathers. Jesus the Son of God is subject to Joseph and Mary. But I must be subject to the Bishop who has been constituted my father. It seems that Joseph knew that Jesus was greater than he, and there fore in awe moderated his authority. But let every one see, that oftentimes he who is subject is the greater. Which if they who are higher in dignity understand they will not be elated with pride, knowing that their superior is subject to them.
I think this final commentary from Origen is the most striking. The concept of subjecting one's self to another, even when we are the 'greater' is one of humility. I wondered something while contemplating the idea of parenthood and the image of God:
If we are truly made in the image of God, then we too must go through a transformation and reformation in our souls throughout our life. When we are born, and a single person in our unity with God, we are like God the Father, sovereign over ourselves in unity with God. Sovereign in the sense that we submit ourselves to God singularly. We then get married, and subject ourselves to our spouse. We humble our soul to another in unity, or tri-unity, with God and our spouse. Much the way God sent Jesus, HIS Son in a Tri-Unity with humanity. Finally, the descending of the Holy Spirit is the creation of something separate but unified not in a neo-creative way, but instead in a pro-creative way. [
Here, pro-creative not in a sexual sense, but instead a metaphysical or spiritual way.]
The Holy Spirit is the the ESSENCE of God the Father and Jesus [or of the same ESSENCE] - the third person of the Trinity both a totality of the other two and at the same time autonomous and unique. This is similar to how when a baby is born to the couple described above, that baby contains both the combined and SAME ESSENCE of the unified couple, but also its own. The man and woman in a marriage, completely submit themself to each other and their child, not in disgrace but instead in love and obedience. The man and the woman each become the third in the tri-union within their family. Whether it be with their spouse and child or; with the tri-union with the Body of Christ [the Church] and God.
We have everything that we need in the bible and the teachings of the Catholic Church. We see the submission of both Joseph and Mary in their unique roles as individuals and as "players" in the greater cosmic and historical pageantry of the Mystery of God. We too must learn submission, not out of concession [loss] but instead out of obedience and love.
