The child grew, filled with wisdom
On my recent theology assessment I had an essay question in which I asked my students to discuss the reasons why they believed in God. When I prepped them for the test, I told them that I was not looking for any specific thing that we talked about during the semester; rather I was looking for their own personal reasons for belief. Well, students being students, all but one of them wrote about the proofs of Anselm, Thomas Aquinas, and John Henry Cardinal Newman that we covered in class! The one student who did not reference these men spoke at length about the influence of his parents on his faith in God.
The gospel passage we have today completes the story of the Presentation in the Temple and is followed by a couple of summary or connecting verses. These latter two verses provide a link between the prophecies of Simeon and Anna and the final story in Luke’s infancy narrative, the Boy Jesus in the Temple.
As I was reflecting over today’s gospel passage, it was the connecting verses that caught my attention. The first verse simply says, “When they (Joseph and Mary) had fulfilled all the prescriptions of the law of the Lord . . . .” Mary and Joseph are shown throughout the opening chapters of Luke’s Gospel as devout Jews and faithful followers of God through their observance of the law that God gave to Moses. There is nothing showy about their piety. They merely do what the law requires. It is obvious, however, that these rituals express a deep faith in God that comes from within their hearts for they again make the trip to Jerusalem and the Temple to present their child to God. Thus, when the next verse goes on to say “The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom . . . ,” it is once again obvious that this wisdom/faith came from the example of his parents. The boy Jesus learned about the religious traditions of his people, about their special relationship with God, and about the requirements of the law from parents who were earnest and sincere believers.
If I had answered the essay question I posed to my students, I would have spoken about the faith that I learned from my parents as the number one reason for my belief in God. It was all those times we as a family never began a meal without saying grace before it and giving thanks after it. It was going to Mass together every Sunday morning. It was Our Lady of Perpetual Help prayers every Tuesday evening. It was my dad kneeling down with my brother and me each night before we went to bed and saying bedtime prayers. These were the occasions where I first learned about God and learned to believe and trust in him.
The gospel reading today spurred my reflections on growing up in the faith and feelings of gratitude for my parents and other relatives who handed this faith on to me. Perhaps it might do something similar for you.
Author: Wally Sidney, SJ, Superior of the Gonzaga Community, Theology Department
As I was reflecting over today’s gospel passage, it was the connecting verses that caught my attention. The first verse simply says, “When they (Joseph and Mary) had fulfilled all the prescriptions of the law of the Lord . . . .” Mary and Joseph are shown throughout the opening chapters of Luke’s Gospel as devout Jews and faithful followers of God through their observance of the law that God gave to Moses. There is nothing showy about their piety. They merely do what the law requires. It is obvious, however, that these rituals express a deep faith in God that comes from within their hearts for they again make the trip to Jerusalem and the Temple to present their child to God. Thus, when the next verse goes on to say “The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom . . . ,” it is once again obvious that this wisdom/faith came from the example of his parents. The boy Jesus learned about the religious traditions of his people, about their special relationship with God, and about the requirements of the law from parents who were earnest and sincere believers.
If I had answered the essay question I posed to my students, I would have spoken about the faith that I learned from my parents as the number one reason for my belief in God. It was all those times we as a family never began a meal without saying grace before it and giving thanks after it. It was going to Mass together every Sunday morning. It was Our Lady of Perpetual Help prayers every Tuesday evening. It was my dad kneeling down with my brother and me each night before we went to bed and saying bedtime prayers. These were the occasions where I first learned about God and learned to believe and trust in him.
The gospel reading today spurred my reflections on growing up in the faith and feelings of gratitude for my parents and other relatives who handed this faith on to me. Perhaps it might do something similar for you.
Author: Wally Sidney, SJ, Superior of the Gonzaga Community, Theology Department
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