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Writer's pictureSarah Raad

Misunderstandings

“After three days they found Him in the temple...” (Luke 2:46).

The Finding of the Saviour in the Temple (William Holman Hunt)

I have been meditating on the fifth joyful mystery of the Most Blessed Rosary – the finding of the chil Jesus in the temple…


“After three days they found Him in the temple... And when they saw Him they were astonished; and His mother said to Him, ‘Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, Your father and I have been looking for You anxiously.’ And He said to them, ‘How is it that you sought Me? Did you not know that I must be in My Father's house?’ And they did not understand the saying which He spoke to them. And He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and His mother kept all these things in her heart.” (Luke 2:41-52).


For me, this is a very profound mystery of the Most Holy Rosary because it reveals a moment in time where the PERFECT Holy Family had a misunderstanding…


Our Blessed Mother was conceived and born without sin, and her holy spouse, Saint Joseph, though not sinless, was surely infused with such Grace as to enable him to be worthy of being the chaste spouse of the Blessed Virgin and the beloved Foster Father of God the Son. And yet, even so – in their family – which was as perfect as a HUMAN family could be – there was room for misunderstanding…

You see, though God was born into human flesh poor and obscure in a little stable in Bethlehem – without money or status or possessions – He was NOT born without a FAMILY…

And families are complicated things. While many families experience love and connection, in many families there is also some element of grief, hurt, and sorrow. But in ALL families there is misunderstanding…


And this joyful mystery of the Most Holy Rosary gives me great HOPE – because I can see some misunderstanding in even the most PERFECT of human families…


For in the Holy Family, in which Christ, Our Blessed Mother and Saint Joseph shared such love and joy, there was also some misunderstanding… And that is evidence of the PERFECT HUMILITY of God, who allowed such a thing to pass simply to COMFORT ME when I am misunderstood or misunderstand those who I love best…


Pope Saint John Paul II warned, “As the family goes, so goes the nation and so goes the whole world in which we live.” And he was correct…


For the family – even the broken families in our fallen world – is such a treasured gift from God that when God the Son became Incarnate, He had a family – so that He could share them with us, as His brothers and sisters…


“When Jesus therefore saw His mother and the disciple standing by whom He loved, He said unto His mother, ‘Woman, behold thy son!’ Then said He to the disciple, ‘Behold thy mother!’ And from that hour, that disciple took her unto his own home.” (John 19:26-27).


And that is exactly what I most wish to do… Take HER unto my own home… For where His Mother is, so too is the Son…


For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.

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