Lent, Day 23

"And He said to them, 'Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?' " Luke 2:49

It has always been awe-inspiring for me to ponder this passage. At the time of this incident, Jesus was around 12 years old. Almost a man, in Jewish tradition. But yet, still a child. And there He was, teaching the teachers!

Of course, He was God. So He had a lot to teach them!

I see something else here, too, though. We can learn a lot from our children. There is a purity to their faith. There is a simplicity to their belief in God's promises. There is an honesty in children that adults so often lack. There is often a sensitivity to the Holy Spirit that we, as reserved adults, could truly do well to imitate.

On another subject, today is the feast of St. Joseph, the earthly father of our Lord. I have such a great respect for him. He made some very difficult decisions. God honored him for those decisions. What a daunting task, to raise the Son of God!

My offering to God: Today I will set aside an extra hour to study the Bible. (Wow! This one is going to be difficult to do!)