Feast of the Holy Family, Year C

On the 8th day after the birth of Jesus: “When the days were completed for their purification according to the law of Moses, they took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord” (v. 22). And then in just a few verses Luke presents a host of religiously themed actions: circumcision, naming, purification, presentation, consecration. The Holy Family is obedient to the Laws and are people of the Covenant. This means that that are also faithful in observing the piety of Passover in Jerusalem. Our gospel recounts the story of Mary and Joseph finding the child Jesus in the Temple speaking with Wisdom about the Word of God. The people are amazed.

Did you know that this is the first time Jesus speaks in Luke’s gospel?  Did you know that the familiar phrase, “did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” does not actually have the word “house?” There is a lot more to this gospel. Sit with it for a moment on the back porch.

Full Text of the Sunday Readings

Detailed Commentary on the Gospel

Jesus among the Doctors | Heinrich Hoffman, 1884 | Hamburg Museum | PD-US