Gospel: Lk 2:41–51
Every year the parents of Jesus went to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover, as was
customary. And when Jesus was twelve years old, he went up with them, according to the
custom of this feast. After the festival was over, they returned, but the boy Jesus
remained in Jerusalem, and his parents did not know it. They assumed that he was in their group
of travelers, and after walking the whole day they looked for him among their relatives and
friends. As they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem searching for him, and on the third day they
found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking questions. And all the
people were amazed at his understanding and his answers. His parents were very surprised when they
saw him, and his mother said to him, “Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I were very
worried while searching for you.” Then he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know
that I must be in my Father’s house?” But they did not understand this answer. Jesus went down with them,
returning to Nazareth, and he continued to be obedient to them. As for his mother, she kept all these things
in her heart.

Reflection:

Going to the Temple of Jerusalem is an exciting event for a Jew,
especially if it is not done often. Jesus who is now an adolescent
must have felt the excitement like any normal young Jew
of His time. He goes with His extended family. It is a religious as
well as a social and cultural journey. But Jesus got caught not in the
wonders of a cosmopolitan city such as Jerusalem. He is fascinated
by the discourse the teachers do regarding the scriptures. And so,
he forgot time and the urgency of going home with his parents and kin.
He was absorbed by the task at hand. He does not even feel vulnerable
in such a vast and crowded place far from his familiar adults. He was
at home in His Father’s house.

© Copyright Bible Diary 2021

Gospel: Jn 19:31–37
As it was Preparation Day, the Jews did not want the bodies to remain on the cross
during the Sabbath, for this Sabbath was a very solemn day. They asked Pilate to have
the legs of the condemned men broken, so that the bodies might be taken away.

Gospel: Mt 5:20-26
I tell you, if your sense of right and wrong is not keener than that of the Lawyers and the Pharisees, you will not
enter the kingdom of heaven. You have heard, that it was said to our people in the past: Do not commit murder;
anyone who murders will have to face trial. But now, I tell you: whoever gets angry with a brother or sister will

Gospel: Mt 5:17–19
Do not think that I have come to annul the Law and the Prophets. I have not come
to annul them but to fulfill them. I tell you this: as long as heaven and earth last, not

Gospel: Mt 5:13–16
You are the salt of the earth. But if salt has lost its saltiness, how can it be made
salty again? It has become useless. It can only be thrown away and people will

Gospel: Mt 5:1–12
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain. He sat down and his disciples gathered around him. Then he
spoke and began to teach them: Fortunate are those who are poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Fortunate are those who mourn, they shall be comforted. Fortunate are the gentle, they shall possess the land.

Gospel: Mk 14:12-16, 22-26
On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the day when the Passover Lamb was killed, the disciples asked him, “Where would you have us
go to prepare the Passover meal for you?” So Jesus sent two of his disciples with these instructions, “Go into the city, and there a man will come to you carrying
a jar of water. Follow him to the house he enters and say to the owner, ‘The Master says, Where is the room where I may eat the Passover meal with my disciples?’

Gospel: Mk 12:38–44
As he was teaching, he also said to them, “Beware of those teachers of the Law, who enjoy walking around in long robes
and being greeted in the marketplace, and who like to occupy reserved seats in the synagogues, and the first places at feasts.

Gospel: Mk 12:35–37
As Jesus was teaching in the temple, he said, “The teachers of the Law say that
the Messiah is the son of David. How can that be? For David himself, inspired by the
Holy Spirit, declared: The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand, until I put your

Gospel: Mk 12:28–34
A teacher of the Law had been listening to this discussion and admired how Jesus answered them. So he came up
and asked him, “Which commandment is the first of all?” Jesus answered, “The first is: Hear, Israel!
The Lord, our God, is One Lord; and you shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind