FR. ROBERT BARRON: 3RD SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME
Click here to listen to Fr. Barron's reflections for Mass this Sunday
NAZARETH: DAY 13
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FOR YOUR PRAYER
As Mary and Joseph looked for Jesus they no doubt prayed as they felt great anxiety. Familiar with the Psalms, one can imagine them praying Psalm 4. Read Psalm 4. Read them a few times. Pay attention to what words or phrases “tug” at your heart. Pay attention to all of your thoughts, feelings, and desires as you slowly read the text.
Now, prayerfully imagine the scene in Luke 2:44-45. Jesus is missing … he is lost … he is gone. What went through Mary’s heart when she first realized he was not with them? As a father picked to protect Jesus, what went through Joseph’s heart as he searched? Be there. Be with them. See their anxiety. Feel their anxiety. As you are with them, they turn to you. They ask you: “What are you most anxious about? What’s on your heart today?” What do you want to tell them? Listen to what they say in reply.
TODAY'S PRAYER: “Jesus, I desire to know you in a deeply personal way. Help me to grow in my relationship with you by allowing you to enter my anxiety.”
© Fr. Mark Toups, 2014
NAZARETH: DAY 13
Week 2: What was Jesus' childhood like?
ANXIETY: Mary and Joseph were filled with anxiety
Missing the YouTube plug-in? Click here to listen to the homily via YouTube
FOR YOUR PRAYER
As Mary and Joseph looked for Jesus they no doubt prayed as they felt great anxiety. Familiar with the Psalms, one can imagine them praying Psalm 4. Read Psalm 4. Read them a few times. Pay attention to what words or phrases “tug” at your heart. Pay attention to all of your thoughts, feelings, and desires as you slowly read the text.
Now, prayerfully imagine the scene in Luke 2:44-45. Jesus is missing … he is lost … he is gone. What went through Mary’s heart when she first realized he was not with them? As a father picked to protect Jesus, what went through Joseph’s heart as he searched? Be there. Be with them. See their anxiety. Feel their anxiety. As you are with them, they turn to you. They ask you: “What are you most anxious about? What’s on your heart today?” What do you want to tell them? Listen to what they say in reply.
TODAY'S PRAYER: “Jesus, I desire to know you in a deeply personal way. Help me to grow in my relationship with you by allowing you to enter my anxiety.”
© Fr. Mark Toups, 2014
