On this feast of the Holy Family we get a glimpse into the life of Jesus, Mary and Joseph and learn something of the anxieties of parents as they watch their children grow up. The parents of Jesus were going up to Jerusalem as they did each year for the Feast of the Passover. Since Jesus was now twelve He went with them. Then on the way home Jesus is lost. We can imagine the consternation and the shock felt by His parents who went back looking for Him. Then again another surprise awaits them. They find Him sitting among the teachers listening to them and asking them questions.

Mary asks Him a question any mother would ask: Son, why have you treated us like this? Then the unexpected answer! Did you not know that I must be busy with my Father's affairs? They did not understand His answer but Mary pondered all these things in her heart.

This reading today must give some consolation to parents who struggle with children growing up and finding their own independence. There is a letting go and a trust needed so that children can grow in wisdom and grace. All the time we trust that God our Father is looking after His children just as He looks after all of us as we follow our path in life and go about our Father's affairs.