Daily Readings - Sat Jun 17 2023
Isaiah
9Their descendants will be known among the nations and their offspring among the peoples. All who see them will acknowledge that they are a people the LORD has blessed."10I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.11For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign LORD will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations.
Luke
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 traveled 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.51Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart.
Sermon
In today's readings, we encounter powerful messages of divine presence and purpose. The first reading from Isaiah 61:9-11 speaks of a people blessed by God, recognized among the nations, and clothed in salvation and justice. This passage, written during the exile, offers hope of restoration through the Messiah, who will bring justice and praise to all nations. The Gospel from Luke 2:41-51 presents a young Jesus, at just twelve years old, in the temple engaging scholars, embodying his dedication to his Father's work. His parents, after a frantic search, find him, highlighting the tension between human concern and divine mission.
These readings connect through themes of seeking and finding God. Isaiah's vision of a blessed people and Luke's narrative of Jesus in the temple illustrate God's active presence in our lives. Just as Jesus's parents sought him diligently, we are called to seek God with similar urgency and faith. The temple scene reminds us that God's ways may not always align with our expectations, yet He is always present, guiding us.
In our daily lives, this calls us to trust in God's plan, even when uncertain. Like Mary, we can reflect on God's words and actions, keeping them in our hearts. The moral lesson here is one of faith and trust—seeking God diligently, as Mary and Joseph did, and remaining open to His presence in unexpected places. Let us embrace this journey of seeking and finding, trusting in God's divine plan.