Praying The Rosary – The Fifth Joyful Mystery

The Fifth Joyful Mystery – The Finding Of The Child Jesus In The Temple.

In this the fifth Joyful Mystery, we contemplate the Holy Family now their way home in the company of many family and friends and somehow Jesus got lost – at least Mother Mary and Joseph thought he was lost.

⁴¹Every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover. ⁴²When he was twelve years old, they went up to the Feast, according to the custom. ⁴³After the Feast was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. ⁴⁴Thinking he was in their company, they travelled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. ⁴⁵When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. ⁴⁶After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. ⁴⁷Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. ⁴⁸When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.”

⁴⁹“Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” ⁵⁰But they did not understand what he was saying to them.

(Luke 2: 41-50)

Meditation on the Fifth Joyful mystery

This reminds me very much of an old saying that said ‘It takes a village to rise a child.’ This must have been true back then since neither Mother Mary nor Joseph were irresponsible parents; both thinking that Jesus was in the other’s company. This went on for some time before they realized that is was not the case. Can you imagine how anxious they both were? I suppose that Mother Mary would have recalled how they had to flee when Jesus was a baby in order to save his life from the evil king Herod who wanted to destroy the Christ child. She may also have recalled the words of the prophetess when they presented Jesus in the temple. Maybe Mary’s heart skipped a few beats. Maybe they even ran all the way back.

Eventually Mary and Joseph entered the temple where they found their beloved son Jesus. What a relief! But Jesus simply told they, “Why were you worried about me? Did you not k now that I’d be about my Father’s business?”

As an adult, do I look after children placed in my care? Do I recognize that they are a temporary gift from God and that I should care for them with my life? Whose business am I about? Am I about God’s business or that of the world?

Prayer

Mary Mother of God, please pray for us that we may raise the children entrusted to us to know God, to love God and to serve God. Help us to always seek Jesus your son, who is the Way, the Truth and the Life.