Wednesday, January 11 : Origen

Age twelve, Jesus remains in Jerusalem. Unaware, his parents look for him anxiously and fail to find him. They look “among their relatives”, they look “among their traveling companions”, they look “among their acquaintances”, but amongst all these people they do not find him… My Jesus doesn’t want to be found in a crowd. Now learn where they found him… so that you can find him too: “At the end of their search they found him in the Temple”. Not just anywhere but “in the Temple” and not simply in the Temple but “in the midst of the teachers, asking them questions and listening to them”. So then, look for Jesus too in the Temple of God, seek him in the Church, seek him among the teachers in this temple, who never leave it. If you seek like this, you will find… They find him “sitting in the midst of the teachers, asking them questions and listening to them”. Again, Jesus is here; he is asking us questions and listening to us speaking. Luke says: “They were all astounded”. What was it they were astounded about? Not his questions, wonderful though they were, but his answers… “Moses spoke,” Scripture says, “and God answered him in a voice” (Ex 19,19). This was how the Lord taught Moses what he did not know. Sometimes Jesus questions, sometimes he answers…, and no matter how wonderful his questions are, his answers are more wonderful still. That we, too, may hear him and he may put questions to us that he himself will answer, let us beg for him and make an intense and anxious attempt to find him and then we shall find the one we are looking for. Not without reason does Scripture say: “Your father and I have been looking for you sorrowfully”. Indeed, someone who is looking for Jesus should not do so carelessly and without effort, in an intermittent way as some do… who, for this reason, do not find him. As for us, let us say: “We are looking hard for you”.

Roman Extraordinary (Tridentine) Daily Readings – rosary,team