Finding Jesus

"The boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it... after three days they found him in the temple" - Luke 2:41,46

Whenever I reach that fifth joyful mystery of the rosary I think, what a wonderful thing to find Jesus! But Mary and Joseph had had a hard three days, wondering where he was. Perhaps there was more to that conversation than the bit recorded in the gospel (even though they did ask "Why have you treated us like this?").

"When the angels had left them…they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the child lying in the manger." -Luke 2:15-16

Lucky shepherds! To have angels come and direct them so that they could find Jesus. They spread the good news –  but did they really know who they had seen, what they had witnessed?

We, too, look for Jesus. But do we find him? Or perhaps the question should be, do we recognize him without angels to point the way?  December, this month of waiting for Jesus and then celebrating his actual arrival among us, can often be crammed with so many things that we forget what it’s really about.

The thing is to look for Jesus all the time, among the crowds and the busyness that fill our days. Because that’s where he is – the big trick is to recognize him.  When Jesus came, he came to dwell among us. He is still here, and we can find him if we only look with faith at the persons and situations surrounding us.

And when we do, there is nothing more wonderful than finding Jesus!
Happy Christmas!

Written by Mary Buckley CSJ
Photo by Mary Doreen Smith CSJ

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