Jesus in the Temple: Understanding the Faith of a Twelve-Year-Old
Readings for Mass and Virtual Homily for December 29, 2024, Feast of the Holy Family; Christmas in Casablanca; The Late Brawn Sullivan (that is, Christmas cards are coming); January Schedule
Readings for Mass this Sunday
1 Samuel 1:20-22, 24-28
Psalm 84:2-3, 5-6, 9-10
1 John 3:1-2, 21-24
Luke 2:41-52
Dear Friends and Family,
The readings this week reflect, of course, the Holy Family, whose feast this Sunday is. I have preached often enough (in person and in these virtual homilies) on the humanity exhibited by the twelve year-old Jesus, who just so does not get it, about the anxiety that he caused his parents, ditching the family and the caravan back to Nazareth, in order to hang at "his Father's house," the Temple. I am going to avoid going there, this weekend, with that homily. I will look, rather, briefly at each of the readings and leave it to the Spirit to connect the dots (if connected they may be).
In the first reading, Hannah (mother of the prophet Samuel) makes good on her vow to offer her infant son, once weaned, to the Lord. Hannah had been thought barren. The birth of Samuel was literally an answer to her most desperate prayers, and in her joy and gratitude at what the Lord had done for her, she kept her promise to God -- to bring the baby boy to Shiloh (site of a major shrine which Hannah and her husband visited several times a year) and leave him there with the priests, that Samuel might, in Hannah's own words, "be dedicated to the Lord" (vs. 28).
Eli, the chief priest at Shiloh, and who has a history of acquaintance with Hannah, accepts Samuel and agrees to raise him there at the shrine, where over the years, of course, Hannah is able to visit him. In verses beyond today's reading, Eli prays that the Lord will "repay you with children" for the gift of Samuel and sure enough, Hannah, who again, had been thought barren, has three more sons and two daughters (Ch. 2, vss. 20-21).
We could take an obvious direction with this homily to point out, for instance, that the Lord is not outdone in generosity. Hannah could not have known that five more children would come, when she gave Samuel, her first and at that time only child, to the priests. All that mattered to her was that God had granted her her most fervent desire -- to be a mother. As God had given her Samuel, now she in turn, would give him to God -- that was enough for Hannah (vs. 27-28),
But God had other plans for her, and they involved her having five more children. Again, the Lord will not be outdone in generosity. Jesus himself assures this of what we stand to gain, whenever we offer something prized and precious to the Lord -- we will receive back from the Lord many, many times over that which we have given (Mark 10:29).
I could construct an entire homily just exploring this dynamic, but let's move on to the psalm. Psalm 84 is a natural match for today's Gospel passage -- the boy Jesus finding himself so at home in the Temple. Listen to a couple of its stanzas:
How lovely is your dwelling, O Lord of hosts! My soul yearns and pines for the courts of the Lord (vss. 2-3).
Blessed are those who dwell in your house! They never cease to praise you (vs. 5).
The twelve year-old Jesus evidently found agreement with the psalmist -- for three days while his folks sought him "sorrowing," to use his mother's term (vs. 48) Jesus was at home in his Father's house. Those who "dwelt" there, including, in Luke's telling, the aged prophets Simeon and Anna, did, in fact, "never cease to praise" God. Anna, Luke tells us, "never left the Temple, but worshipped night and day with fasting and prayer" (Luke 2:37). It is, of course, this faithfulness to God that empowers Anna and Simeon to recognize the infant Jesus as the Messiah, when his parents bring him to the Temple, to be dedicated to the Lord (as Samuel had been) according to Mosaic law.
The passage from the First Letter of John may, without too much massaging, be brought into general alignment with the theme of the day's readings in that John starts out assuring us that God is our Father (vs. 1). And it is to the Father's house that the twelve year-old Jesus is so relentlessly drawn. What is more, a deeper union with the Father is predicted by John, and this prospect, we may suppose, engaged and excited the mind and heart of the twelve year old Messiah. John writes
“...we are God's children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is" (vs. 2).
There is much speculation, in one branch of Christology, that those three days in the Temple were an awakening for the boy Messiah: Jesus was, in those days in his Father's house, discussing theology and salvation with the learned men of Israel, perhaps for the first time intuiting his own origin and destiny.
Look. This is a Sunday homily. I can't get into anything close to a deep discussion regarding this debate (and a debate it is) among Christologists. I merely point out that, if nothing else, those three days in his Father's house clearly captivated the twelve year-old Jesus. And in his wonder and rapt engagement in those discussions with the leaders of Israel, the boy Jesus was, truly, perplexed, trying hard to grasp, how he could have caused his parents such anxiety. "Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?" (vs. 49).
Twelve year olds!
Well, we "visited" the Venezuelan capital last week, in the homily, with regard to the hugely generous gift friends of mine in Brentwood made to my Caracas ministry. This week, we are "going to Casablanca" where my young friends have been texting, Facebook message-ing and WhatsApp-ing me with Christmas greetings.
I have remarked upon this interesting (and for me at least, initially, entirely unexpected) fact: Christmas is celebrated in Casablanca. Of course, my young friends there know that I am a Catholic priest and that the holiday -- holy day, as they would be quick to call it -- means a lot to me.
But it means a lot to them, too, because the Muslims revere Jesus as the greatest of the prophets until Mohammed. They do not believe he is God. That is the difference; that is what, more than anything else, separates us. But they do revere Jesus. And in revering Jesus, Casablanca celebrates Christmas as a RELIGIOUS holiday, not just a chance to make money in the malls.
I am anxious to get back to Casablanca. It has been five years now. The fact that my young Moroccans and I remain in such easy and vibrant touch is a proof to me that these connections are not by accident, they are not "coincidental." They are from God, and I hope to be in the Moroccan metropolis again this new year, and in fact, since I am taking a sabbatical in 2025, I hope to be there more than once.
Inshallah, as our Muslims cousins say -- "if God wills it."
Finally, it is Thursday, December 26, the Second Day of Christmas and the Feast of St. Stephen, the first martyr, as I am writing this. And I am just now getting at my Christmas cards -- some 350-400 total to go out between now and, well, whenever I wrap the project. In those winters when I am not traveling the week between Christmas and New Year's, this is my customary occupation: writing my Christmas cards. My mom always said that any Christmas card sent by the Epiphany (January 6) was sent on time. I hope to have all mine sent with a 2024 postmark; that is more or less my own standard with regard to this business.
But I will take the time here to just point out that, though my frequent lateness with my cards is no doubt indicative of an overall set of character traits which really do define me (the Late Brawn Sullivan) -- it is all the same entirely cool that my Christmas cards will be arriving in what is actually the CHRISTMAS SEASON. That season actually extends 'til February 2, not that I want to be sending cards at the start of February. Just that secular culture starts celebrating the Christmas marketing season at Hallowe'en, and is done with it the very day -- December 25 -- that the SEASON actually begins. My "late" Christmas cards might be understood as a defiant protest to that secular, society-wide reality.
On the other hand, maybe...nice excuse, for NOT getting my cards out early!
Love you!
Merry Christmas!
Fr. Brawn
January Mass Schedule
New Year's Day
Feast of Mary, Mother of God
9 AM (English)
Saturday, January 11
5 PM (English)
Sunday, January 12
CATHOLIC COMMUNITY OF PLEASANTON (Seton Campus)
11 AM (English)
Saturday, January 18
5 PM (English)
Sunday, January 19
8 AM, 11:15 AM (both English)
Sunday, January 26
8 AM, 6:30 PM (both English)
Weekday Masses (all English, all 8 AM except where noted)
Friday, Jan. 3
Saturday, Jan. 4
Monday, Jan. 6
Friday, Jan.10
Monday, Jan. 13
Friday, Jan. 17
Saturday, Jan. 18
Monday, Jan. 20
Wednesday, Jan. 22 (8:30 AM -- ST. CLEMENT SCHOOL MASS -- open to all)
Saturday, Jan. 25
Monday, Jan. 27
Wednesday, Jan. 29 (again, school Mass at 8:30)
Saturday, Feb. 1