In this section you can find a daily commentary on the Gospel of the Day.

Sunday 26 December 2021

The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph – Year C
 
Word for today
The Gospel of Luke 2:41-52

He holds on

Where your desire is, there you will hold on. You hold on where you desire and to the extent of the strength of your desire, otherwise you leave.
If you leave it is because you are no longer desiring. If you hold on, it is because you are still desiring. The force of desire is manifested in resistance.
Jesus holds on in Jerusalem not because His desire is to please Joseph and Mary, but to do God the Father's will. The caravan gets off, parents go away, as well as their protection, care, affection and guidance. Not only does Jesus remain in Jerusalem, but He holds on - like the Greek text literally says - in that temple because that was His wish. He holds on and remains in God the Father's will, in God's desires. Jesus' remaining in Jerusalem is only a consequence.
Jesus does not use His desire for anything that is outside of Himself and of His desire, He does not use His will to stop the caravan which is leaving, nor to inform them of His absence, He does not use His will to convince His parents to stay a little bit longer, He does not use the power of His desire to explain, convince others about His projects. 
Jesus uses His will and His desire to hold on in Jerusalem, because He was to remain there according to God the Father's desire. In this sense the term child in greek pàis, used to describe Jesus in this page, can be easily translated as servant. Jesus is servant of His desire, servant of His Father's desires. This is the most powerful strength on earth: desire. The desire of giving joy and salvation to men is so strong in Jesus that He holds on in  Jerusalem, He resists even to demons, disease, death, slander, betrayal. He holds on while sweating blood in Gethsemane, He holds on during the trial before Pilate, He holds on while being tortured, flagellated, on the cross. Jesus lovingly resists without violence, Jesus faces, resists, but does not bend. Jesus resists death and resuscitates. Jesus holds on and does not quit. He never quits. If you desire, you hold on, and if you really want, you hold on peacefully. If you want, you persevere and according to the extent of your desire  you can also bare and endure, but you will never give up.
Jesus, loving servant of God the Father's desires, holds on in Jerusalem with absolute determination, totally neglecting the caravan, parents, traditions, bonds, habits, but at the same time His desire to do the Father's will leads Him to Nazareth while being perfectly and peacefully united to his family.
Since He was a child, it has been the desire to do God the Father's desires to lead Jesus and this thoroughgoing and sovereign desire allows Him to go on,  improve, advance as it is said in the text of the Gospel, in sofìa, elikìa and chàriti. They are three dimensions of the human person that let a man  be image and likeness of God. Sofìa is wisdom and knowledge, elikìa is age, body, appearance, but also lifespan and maturity, chàriti is grace, gratitude and giving thanks to.
So, learning to desire God's desires allows man to grow harmoniously in the intellectual dimension giving wisdom and knowledge, in the physical dimension, giving health, beauty, physical appearance and longevity of life, in the spiritual dimension, giving the capability of gratitude and giving thanks to.