Searching for the Lord

Gospel: Luke 2: 41-51

In the return trip to Galilee from Jerusalem, Mary and Joseph discover that Jesus is not part of the caravan, so they went in search of him back in Jerusalem.  They eventually find him in the Temple area talking with religious scholars.  They are distressed and upset, saying as much to Jesus.  They tell him of their grief and anxiety in searching for him, and they wonder aloud why he has done this to them.  All of these emotions are perfectly normal parental feelings.

Jesus' response is somewhat shocking.  Why were you looking for me? I am where I should be - in my Father's house.  Why would you look anywhere else?  Mary and Joseph do not understand this answer, and neither do we.  We imagine and declare that Jesus can only be found in the Temple, in the structures of religion that we have constructed with our own hands. We assert this is what Jesus meant in saying these things to his parents.  But this is false.  

God did not build a temple made of stone.  God made countless temples of divine indwelling in creating human beings.  This is where God dwells and where we can find Jesus.  We discover him within our own hearts and in the presence of other human beings we encounter each day.  It is here where the conversation with God takes place, where the Lord can be found.  We search in vain if we seek the Lord in buildings and institutions of our own making.  Joseph and Mary find him in the silence of their own home, their own heart.  That is the meaning of today's feast.