December 30, 2018 - Feast of the Holy Family

This is such a classic and heartwarming story. It never fails to put a smile on my face as I look back to childhood memories, but this time around, something else about this Gospel caught my attention.

After celebrating Passover in Jerusalem, the Holy Family packs up to leave except for Jesus, who decides to stay in the temple, "but his parents did not know it."

It surprised me that Mary and Joseph managed to forget about Jesus, about God. Now I'm not bashing them. I've been left alone in the grocery store plenty of times. But this got me thinking:

How many times have I left God behind?

I know that I always dedicate much of my focus on things like school and friends or I just get comfortable and lazy with my faith. In these times, I leave God behind.

And it took Mary and Joseph a few days to find Jesus which led me to reflect on how I will find myself looking for Jesus in the wrong places. I'll try to find happiness in other things when really, I should look to God.

But Jesus asks, "why were you looking for me?" Why do we spend so much time looking for Him when He's with us in the form of the Holy Spirit? And we receive Him in the Eucharist (hopefully) at least once a week. We encounter God every single day, but sometimes we forget about Him and ignore His presence.

This is an urge to go to Mass. To go to adoration. To pray. More and more.

God spends time with us. Always. Now it's time for us to be with Him as well.