In the text of his catechesis for his General Audience, Pope Francis calls on all faithful to seek the Lord, as Mary and Joseph did when they set out to find their 12-year-old son, Jesus, in the temple.
“Like Mary and Joseph, full of hope, let us also set out in search of the Lord, who cannot be contained within our limited expectations…” This was the central theme of Pope Francis’ prepared text for his General Audience, originally scheduled for 5 March. Although the Audience was cancelled, the Holy Father chose to have the Holy See Press Office publish his message. Continuing his catechetical cycle on “Jesus Christ, Our Hope,” Pope Francis dedicated his reflection to the childhood of Jesus, focusing in particular on the episode in which, at the age of twelve, He remained in the Temple without informing His parents. Mary and Joseph, overcome with anxiety, searched for Him for three days before finally finding Him. The Holy Father marveled that this account presents us with a very interesting dialogue between Mary and Jesus, which helps us reflect on Mary’s journey.
Mary as a pilgrim of hope
Stressing that her journey certainly was not an easy one, the Pope explained that that Mary undertook “a spiritual itinerary” during which, her understanding of her Son’s mystery consistently grew. As he went on to recall the various stages of the Blessed Mother’s journey throughout the Lord’s life, he noted how, throughout it all, she remained “a pilgrim of hope”. The Blessed Mother Mary, Pope Francis highlighted, is His first disciple. He adds that she nurtured him, helped Him grow, and followed Him, allowing herself to be shaped by the Word of God before anyone else. The Pope then quoted Pope Benedict XVI, who said “We see how completely at home Mary is with the Word of God…” Noting she “is completely imbued with the Word of God,” Benedict had explained, “she is able to become the Mother of the Word Incarnate.” However, this unique communion with the Word of God, Pope Francis pointed out, did not spare her the struggle of a demanding “apprenticeship.”
The Blessed Mother’s fear of losing her Son
The experience of losing site of Jesus at the age of twelve during the annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem frightened Mary so much, the Pope suggested, that she, in a sense, became the “spokesperson” for both herself and Joseph in reproaching their son. “Mary and Joseph,” he acknowledged, “experienced the pain of parents who lose a child”. Believing that Jesus was with their relatives in the travelling caravan, they went on without concern. But after an entire day without seeing Him, anxiety set in, and they began a desperate search, retracing their steps. “Returning to the Temple, they discovered that the one whom they had, until recently, seen as a child in need of protection, had suddenly matured,” said the Pope. They noticed he had become capable of engaging in discussions on the Scriptures, “holding His own” in debates with the teachers of the Law.
Surpassing comprehension
Pope Francis went on to recall that in response to his mother’s reproach Jesus replied simply, saying he was conducting His Father’s “business.” However, the Pope observed, Mary and Joseph did not understand. “The mystery of God made child surpassed their comprehension.” “His parents,” the Pope recognized, “wanted to protect their precious Son under the wings of their love; but Jesus,” he continued, “instead, wanted to live out His vocation as the Son of the Father, serving Him and immersing Himself in His Word.” Finally, and with this in mind, the Pope urged the faithful to seek the Lord like Mary and Joseph did, and to do so full of hope.
