THE HOLY FAMILY GOES TO JERUSALEM TO CELEBRATE THE PASCH
“And His parents went every year to Jerusalem at the solemn day of the Pasch” (Luke 2, 41).
First Prelude: Behold the Holy Family at prayer in the Temple.
Second Prelude: Give me grace, O my God, rightly to comprehend and to imbibe the spirit of true piety.
FIRST POINT
THE HOLY FAMILY FULFILL THE LAW
On his return from Egypt, St. Joseph had feared to go to Jerusalem because Archelaus reigned there. Now, when there is question of fulfilling a duty prescribed by the law, he no longer fears, but thinks only of complying with the obligation. We should, likewise, never suffer human respect to hinder us in the discharge of our duties. We, too, may trust in God’s protection and assistance, for He lovingly aids His creatures when they expose themselves to danger in the execution of His command. The evangelist observes that the Blessed Virgin, also, made the journey, though women were not bound by the law. Mary’s zeal was not satisfied with doing merely what was obligatory. It was her constant endeavor to promote the honor of God and her growth in sanctity, to edify her neighbor and incite him to good.
What a model for all who aim at perfection! It should not suffice for them to have given God what He requires by law, but they should add voluntary acts of a pure, generous love and liberality. Since God in pure, disinterested love confers so much good upon me, shall I fear to be doing too much by my constant endeavor to please Him by voluntary acts of virtue? But, alas, how seldom have I acted thus! How often have I done merely what was obligatory, thus exposing myself to the danger of losing many graces and stemming the flow of God’s gifts by my lack of generosity!
At the age of twelve, as the gospel narrates, Jesus accompanied His parents on their pilgrimage to Jerusalem. This journey was certainly not binding on the Son of God, nor did the honor of His heavenly Father require it. Jesus, however, willed to impress upon us, by His holy example, the importance of the exact observance of the exterior practices of religion. To teach us that we, likewise, must be ready for any sacrifice when the honor of God or participation in divine worship is concerned, Jesus undertakes a fatiguing journey and willingly endures many privations during his stay in Jerusalem. What a shame for souls consecrated to God, if on similar occasions they should refuse to bear the least discomfiture or suffer the slightest inconvenience!
Do I give proofs of a magnanimous love, or do I shirk the sacrifices connected with the zealous practice of virtue?
SECOND POINT
THE HOLY FAMILY IN THE TEMPLE
In spirit, let us accompany Jesus, Mary and Joseph into the Temple. With what humility, devotion and reverence do they ascend the steps of the Temple! Now kneeling, now standing, with eyes raised to heaven, they perform their sacred duty. Let us, however, study their interior dispositions and seek to realize the ardent devotion with which they praise God, thank Him for His benefits and entreat for the people of Israel and all mankind, the plenitude of divine blessings while the many sacrifices of propitiation and expiation are being offered to God. Like the fragrance of incense, their prayers and the oblation of their pure hearts, infinitely more precious than all the other sacrifices offered in the Temple, ascended to the throne of the Most High! What a glorious Exemplar have we in this mystery, teaching us at once the outward demeanor that we should observe in the house of God, and the sentiments that should animate our hearts, especially during the holy Sacrifice of the Mass! Of what negligence have I, perhaps, been guilty? In the religious state God invites me so frequently to visit Him in His holy Temple. Often I dwell under one roof with my Sacramental God. How grateful ought I to be for such an extraordinary grace, how highly esteem and faithfully utilize it! But is it not as though the ease with which I can acquire these heavenly treasures increases my neglect?
The Holy Family would not return to Nazareth before the seven days of the Pasch had expired. They could have departed earlier without violating their duty, but it was their aim to fulfill the law in the minutest detail. Do we manifest a similar zeal for all that appertains to divine worship? Do we not offer God a mutilated oblation, by depriving Him of a portion of the time to which He has a just claim? How culpable would religious be were they to curtail their devotional exercises or discharge the duties of their vocation superficially so as to gain time for idle conversation or other non-essentials.
Affections: O Holy Family, Jesus, Mary and Joseph, glorious models of devotion and fervor in the service of God! In imitation of your example we will endeavor to appear in the house of God imbued with the sentiments of a lively faith, profound reverence and tender devotion. Let us share your fiery ardor, that we may immolate all our inclinations, all earthly affections to the service and the honor of God, and thus adore our heavenly Father in spirit and in truth. O ye holy angels, wrapt in ecstasy when contemplating the Holy Family in prayer, call to our minds this sublime example when in your holy company we are privileged to appear in the presence of our God in His holy Temple.
Resolution: We will endeavor to perform our devotional exercises with greater fervor in the future.
Spiritual Bouquet: “And his parents went every year to Jerusalem at the solemn day of the Pasch.”
Prayer: O Jesus, living in Mary . . .
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