PATRON SAINT OF THE DIOCESE OF HOUMA-THIBODAUX
Mark 3:13-19
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NAZARETH: DAY 12
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“In some portrayals of the figure of Jesus, the emphasis is placed almost exclusively on the radical aspects, on Jesus’ challenge to false piety. Thus Jesus is presented as a liberal or a revolutionary. It is true that in his mission as Son, Jesus did introduce a new phase in man’s relationship to God, opening up a new dimension of human intimacy with God. But this was not an attack on Israel’s piety. Jesus’ freedom is not the freedom of the liberal. It is the freedom of the Son, and thus the freedom of the truly devout person. As Son, Jesus brings a new freedom: not the freedom of someone with no obligations, but the freedom of someone totally united with the Father’s will, someone who helps mankind to attain the freedom of inner oneness with God. Jesus came not to abolish, but to complete (cf. Mt 5: 17). This link between radical newness and equally radical faithfulness, rooted in Jesus’ sonship, emerges clearly in the short narrative about the twelve-year-old: indeed, I would say it is the actual theological content that this story is intended to convey.”
Pope Benedict XVI, Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives, pg. 120-121
FOR YOUR PRAYER
Joseph and Mary would have allowed Jesus’ single-hearted love for the Father to naturally mature in his heart. And the Psalms would have been central in the prayer life of the Holy Family. Psalms 63 and 37 both speak of a single-hearted love for God. First read Psalm 63 and then Psalm 37:1-7. 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 2:46. The child Jesus is teaching in the Temple. Be with him. Look at him. Be there. Notice his freedom. Now, he turns to you. Jesus asks you: “Are you free? What’s on your heart today?” What do you want to tell him? Listen to what he says 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 growing in the freedom.”
© Fr. Mark Toups, 2014
Missing the YouTube plug-in? Click here to listen to the homily via YouTube
Click on the image above for today's blog about Saints ... it's awesome.
NAZARETH: DAY 12
Week 2: What was Jesus' childhood like?
FREE: What does the finding in the Temple tell us about Jesus?
Missing the YouTube plug-in? Click here to listen to the homily via YouTube
“In some portrayals of the figure of Jesus, the emphasis is placed almost exclusively on the radical aspects, on Jesus’ challenge to false piety. Thus Jesus is presented as a liberal or a revolutionary. It is true that in his mission as Son, Jesus did introduce a new phase in man’s relationship to God, opening up a new dimension of human intimacy with God. But this was not an attack on Israel’s piety. Jesus’ freedom is not the freedom of the liberal. It is the freedom of the Son, and thus the freedom of the truly devout person. As Son, Jesus brings a new freedom: not the freedom of someone with no obligations, but the freedom of someone totally united with the Father’s will, someone who helps mankind to attain the freedom of inner oneness with God. Jesus came not to abolish, but to complete (cf. Mt 5: 17). This link between radical newness and equally radical faithfulness, rooted in Jesus’ sonship, emerges clearly in the short narrative about the twelve-year-old: indeed, I would say it is the actual theological content that this story is intended to convey.”
Pope Benedict XVI, Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives, pg. 120-121
FOR YOUR PRAYER
Joseph and Mary would have allowed Jesus’ single-hearted love for the Father to naturally mature in his heart. And the Psalms would have been central in the prayer life of the Holy Family. Psalms 63 and 37 both speak of a single-hearted love for God. First read Psalm 63 and then Psalm 37:1-7. 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 2:46. The child Jesus is teaching in the Temple. Be with him. Look at him. Be there. Notice his freedom. Now, he turns to you. Jesus asks you: “Are you free? What’s on your heart today?” What do you want to tell him? Listen to what he says in reply.
© Fr. Mark Toups, 2014
