Sunday Readings: 1 Samuel 1.20-22, 24-28; 1 John 3.1-2, 21-24, Luke 2.41-52
Jesus went down with Mary and Joseph and came to Nazareth and was obedient to them. His mother treasured all these things in her heart. Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor. – Luke 2.51-52
Only Luke tells a story about Jesus during the years between his infancy and public ministry. Sunday’s gospel takes place during his family’s yearly pilgrimage to Jerusalem to join with friends and family in the Passover celebration. This detail tells us Jesus’ parents practice Jewish religious traditions. They make the four-day walk from Nazareth to Jerusalem.
The gospel suggests the journey is fun, with friends and family members walking together, visiting with different ones as they walk along all day, perhaps singing the psalms of ascent. Participating in the feast, stories, and traditions of his people is one way Jesus receives his religious education. He grows in wisdom in his family.
What importance has participating in parish worship and parish life as a child had on your adult faith? Who has most influenced how you lives your adult Christian life?
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