"Why were you looking for me? did you not know

that I must be in my father's house?"

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊  

1 Samuel 1:20-22, 24-28 (or Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14)

And she became pregnant.

She gave birth to a son and called him Samuel because she said:”I have asked Yahweh to give him to me.” One more Elkanah went to the temple with his family to offer his yearly sacrifice and to pay his vow to Yahweh.

Hannah would not go along but she said to her husband, “I will bring the child there as soon as he is weaned. He shall be presented to Yahweh and stay there forever.”

When the child was weaned, Hannah took him with her along with a three-year-old bull, a measure of flour and a flask of wine, and she brought him to Yahweh’s house at Shiloh. The child was still young.

After they had slain the bull they brought the child to Eli. Hannah exclaimed: “Oh, my Lord, look! I am the woman who was standing here in your presence, praying to Yahweh.

I asked for this child and Yahweh granted me the favor begged of him. I think Yahweh is now asking for this child. As long as he leves. He belong to Yahweh. And they worshiped Yahweh there.

 

Ps 84:2-3, 5-6, 9-10

Blessed are they who dwell in your house, O Lord.

 

＊＊＊ 2nd Reading ＊＊＊

1 John 3:1-2, 21-24 (or Colossians 3:12-21)

 See what singular love the Father has for us: we are called children of God, and we really are. This is why the world does not know us, because it did not know him.

 Beloved, we are God’s children and what we shall be has not yet been shown. Yet when he appears in his glory, we know that we shall be like him, for then we shall see him as he is. When our conscience does not condemn us, dear friends, we may have complete confidence in God. Then whatever we ask we shall receive, since we keep his commands and do what pleases him.

 His command is that we believe in the Name of his Son Jesus Christ and that we love one another, as he has commanded us.  Whoever keeps his commands remains in God and God in him. It is by the Spirit God has given us that we know he lives in us.

 

＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊      

Every year, the parents of Jesus went to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover, as was customary. And when Jesus was twelve years old, he went up with them, according to the custom of this feast. After the festival was over, they returned, but the boy Jesus remained in Jerusalem; and his parents did not know it.

 

They assumed that he was in their group of travelers, and, after walking the whole day, they looked for him among their relatives and friends. As they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem, searching for him; and, on the third day, they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking questions. And all the people were amazed at his understanding and his answers.

His parents were very surprised when they saw him; and his mother said to him, "Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I were very worried while searching for you." Then 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 this answer. Jesus went down with them. returning to Nazareth, and he continued to be obedient to them. As for his mother, she kept all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and age, and in divine and human favor.

 

Gospel Reflection：

READ: Jesus went with His parents to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover when He was twelve years old. He remained there sitting among the teachers learning, asking questions and giving answers to some points of scripture.

His parents went back looking for Him. He told them His reason to be in His father's house. Nevertheless, He went back with them to Nazareth while His mother kept all these things in her heart.

 REFLECT: The parents of Jesus are normal pious Jews who place great importance in the religious rituals of their ancestors. According to this gospel account, even though Mary and Joseph customarily go to the Temple of Jerusalem during the Feast of the Passover, they only took Jesus with them when he was already twelve years old.

Imagine the excitement of the young Jesus. After all, Jerusalem is a mega city with lots of architectural, cultural and commercial wonders. These are more than enough novel things to entertain a young lad during his brief sojourn in the holy city.

But what caught the attention of Jesus is the lively scholarship and debate with regard to the faith right inside the Temple. He was not seduced by the material delights of the city but the quest to understand the faith better through intellectual discourse and the sharing of experiences.

That is why He spent time with the teachers of the law, holding His own in the exchange of ideas to the point of eliciting the admiration of the older and more experienced among those gathered. It is in such a gathering that He is finally found by His parents.

It was a gathering that Jesus did not regret participating in. As for all of these, His mother kept them in her heart. For she knows who her son is. She has to learn how to be a parent to a child as extraordinary as Jesus. And she does that admirably by listening and pondering all things in her heart.

 RESPOND: When was the last time you travelled to participate in a devotion that has nourished you through the years. It could be the break you need from the ordinary humdrum of life. So why don't you plan to take a break for spiritual and physical renewal.

It is good to reconnect with activities that once gave us so much pleasure but are neglected because of the busy schedule of our life.