If You Love Something – The Finding in the Temple

By e September 2, 2019 Jesus Stuff No Comments

This is part five of a short series on the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary as a guide for discernment. The introduction and “index” are here. The previous mystery, The Presentation in the Temple, is here. The conclusion is here.

The Finding in the Temple

William Holman Hunt – The Finding of the Saviour in the Temple

Joseph and Mary lose track of Jesus on the way home from Jerusalem after the feast of Passover. They look everywhere for three days, then find him in the temple, in “my Father’s house,” and “about my Father’s business.” Also, you might find interesting my previous thoughts on why this is a joyful mystery.

  • The revelation, call, or idea takes on a life of its own.
  • It surprises us.
  • It’s “ours” no longer.

With most things we might discern, there’s a long phase of participating in the daily work following the pondering, preparing, perceiving, and presenting. This hidden time, like the childhood of Jesus, is precious. It’s a time of both difficulty, and of joy, as we participate in the growth of our idea, vocation, or call. It’s real, now, we’re just nurturing its growth.

The day should come, however, when we are surprised that this thing we pondered, prepared, perceived, presented, and participated in, takes on a life of its own. If it is a theological insight, another may revise, improve, or clarify. Perhaps they even refute the insight. That doesn’t mean the insight was bad, nor that we discerned incorrectly whether we should share it. It may only mean that it was incomplete. Perhaps it was a stepping stone God chose to use. If it is a call to vocation, we will likely discover there is yet another call within the call. If it is a call to establish a ministry, others will likely take on the mantle of leadership, perhaps even leading it, like St Peter, in ways we wouldn’t have envisioned or preferred.

Anxiety is a reasonable response to this turn of events. Yes, I know, we are instructed to be anxious for nothing, but… Joseph and Mary were anxious… so.. yeah.

Ultimately, this should be our greatest joy, and the most certain consolation affirming that we’ve correctly discerned God’s will.

An excessive sense of ownership is perhaps the greatest obstacle to that joy.

This theological insight, vocation, call, or whatever it is we’ve discerned, is a gift.

A gift.

Do not cling to it too tightly. Cling to the giver.

Do not stifle its growth with a hovering sense of self-importance. This is God’s thing. We were just the conduit through whom God chose to poor out some blessing.

For that, give thanks!

What do you think?