Please read the passage before the homily.
“Each year Jesus’ went parents to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover. After those days, they returned home but the boy Jesus stayed in Jerusalem without his parents’ knowledge.”
The story of Jesus’ boyhood illustrates the humanness of Jesus. Jesus went increasing in wisdom, age and grace before God and people.’
Jesus had the nature of God and the nature of humans. With his divine nature, Jesus knew everything. With his human nature, however, he learned gradually, through trial and error, just as we do.
His parents taught Jesus the importance of God, his Father. While in Jerusalem Jesus could obey and remain in the house of God, the Father.’ Oops! Not at this time! Jesus would have to go back with Joseph and Mary to his house in Nazareth and continue being subject to their authority.
In his humanity, Jesus learned from his mistake. In his human nature, Jesus did not know Spanish or English. He had to learn how to count, read, work, and speak. Jesus was like us in all ways, but sin.
We are subject to the authority of others. We have to obey laws, those who govern us and all the others over us. Jesus, our God, obeyed human beings. We, whom Jesus has made sharers in his divinity, have to obey human authorities.
We learn through trial and error; Jesus learned the same way. We have to walk before we can run. We have to grow from childhood to adulthood.
The gift of birth is that we can grow gradually in wisdom, age and peace before God and people. The gift of God is that we are not complete or perfect. We need to grow as Jesus grew.