Reading 1
Gn 27:1-5, 15-29
When Isaac was so old that his eyesight had failed him,
he called his older son Esau and said to him, “Son!”
“Yes father!” he replied.
Isaac then said, “As you can see, I am so old
that I may now die at any time.
Take your gear, therefore–your quiver and bow–
and go out into the country to hunt some game for me.
With your catch prepare an appetizing dish for me, such as I like,
and bring it to me to eat,
so that I may give you my special blessing before I die.”
Rebekah had been listening
while Isaac was speaking to his son Esau.
So, when Esau went out into the country
to hunt some game for his father,
Rebekah [then] took the best clothes of her older son Esau
that she had in the house,
and gave them to her younger son Jacob to wear;
and with the skins of the kids she covered up his hands
and the hairless parts of his neck.
Then she handed her son Jacob the appetizing dish
and the bread she had prepared.
Bringing them to his father, Jacob said, “Father!”
“Yes?” replied Isaac. “Which of my sons are you?”
Jacob answered his father: “I am Esau, your first-born.
I did as you told me.
Please sit up and eat some of my game,
so that you may give me your special blessing.”
But Isaac asked, “How did you succeed so quickly, son?”
He answered,
“The LORD, your God, let things turn out well with me.”
Isaac then said to Jacob,
“Come closer, son, that I may feel you,
to learn whether you really are my son Esau or not.”
So Jacob moved up closer to his father.
When Isaac felt him, he said,
“Although the voice is Jacob’s, the hands are Esau’s.”
(He failed to identify him because his hands were hairy,
like those of his brother Esau;
so in the end he gave him his blessing.)
Again he asked Jacob, “Are you really my son Esau?”
“Certainly,” Jacob replied.
Then Isaac said, “Serve me your game, son, that I may eat of it
and then give you my blessing.”
Jacob served it to him, and Isaac ate;
he brought him wine, and he drank.
Finally his father Isaac said to Jacob,
“Come closer, son, and kiss me.”
As Jacob went up and kissed him,
Isaac smelled the fragrance of his clothes.
With that, he blessed him saying,
“Ah, the fragrance of my son
is like the fragrance of a field
that the LORD has blessed!
“May God give to you
of the dew of the heavens
And of the fertility of the earth
abundance of grain and wine.
“Let peoples serve you,
and nations pay you homage;
Be master of your brothers,
and may your mother’s sons bow down to you.
Cursed be those who curse you,
and blessed be those who bless you.”
135:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6
Responsorial PsalmR. (3a)
Praise the Lord for the Lord is good!
or:
R. Alleluia.
Praise the name of the LORD;
Praise, you servants of the LORD
Who stand in the house of the LORD,
in the courts of the house of our God.
R. Praise the Lord for the Lord is good!
or:
R. Alleluia.
Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good;
sing praise to his name, which we love;
For the LORD has chosen Jacob for himself,
Israel for his own possession.
R. Praise the Lord for the Lord is good!
or:
R. Alleluia.
For I know that the LORD is great;
our LORD is greater than all gods.
All that the LORD wills he does
in heaven and on earth,
in the seas and in all the deeps.
R. Praise the Lord for the Lord is good!
or:
R. Alleluia.
Gospel
Lk 2:41-51
Each year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover,
and when he was twelve years old,
they went up according to festival custom.
After they had completed its days, as they were returning,
the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem,
but his parents did not know it.
Thinking that he was in the caravan,
they journeyed for a day
and looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances,
but not finding him,
they returned to Jerusalem to look for him.
After three days they found him in the temple,
sitting in the midst of the teachers,
listening to them and asking them questions,
and all who heard him were astounded
at his understanding and his answers.
When his parents saw him,
they were astonished,
and his mother said to him,
“Son, why have you done this to us?
Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.”
And he said to them,
“Why were you looking for me?
Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”
But they did not understand what he said to them.
He went down with them and came to Nazareth,
and was obedient to them;
and his mother kept all these things in her heart.
Meditation: Luke 2:41-51
His mother kept all these things in her heart. (Luke 2:51)
Historians tell us that mothers in the ancient Near East had close, protective relationships with their young sons. Perhaps this is one reason why it’s Mary and not Joseph who speaks up when the anxious parents finally spot the “lost” Jesus in the Temple.
But unlike Rebekah, in today’s first reading, Mary is not controlling or manipulative. Her reproach to Jesus is surprisingly mild, given the circumstances. And consider how she handles his hard-to-take response. Here is this young man asking a very confronting question (“Why were you looking for me?”) followed by another, even more enigmatic observation (“Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”). And all in a very public setting, with Temple teachers looking on.
What parent or grandparent among us wouldn’t explode in a similar situation? Young man, you’re grounded! And for the next two weeks, we’ll be reviewing the commandment, “Honor your father and your mother.” But Luke records no such retort—no scolding, punishing, or venting. Only silence, followed by the prayerful pondering that is Mary’s trademark response to things she can’t yet understand (Luke 1:29; 2:19,51).
Mary’s unexpected reaction invites us who are parents to do some pondering of our own. Our kids aren’t Jesus, for sure. And when they do things that go against our expectations, they’re not necessarily answering the pull of a higher call, as Jesus was. Children need parental correction if they are to become the men and women God is calling them to be. But sometimes, for the same reason, they also need space.
Whatever pain and confusion Mary felt as Jesus followed his Father’s plan, she gave him space— all the way from the Temple to the cross. Even before God answered her prayer for insight, her heart was big enough to embrace the mystery.
If you’re facing some mysteries and challenges in your family right now, take a cue from Mary. Step back. Ponder. Pray. Ask God for wisdom. Raising godly children is hard work indeed. But you don’t have to do it all alone!
“Mary, mother of us all, please watch over my family and all families today, especially those families that are struggling.”
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