The Finding in the Temple
The Finding in the Temple is the fifth Joyful Mystery of the Rosary. After searching in Jerusalem, Mary and Joseph find Jesus among the teachers. His answer to them reveals his relationship with the Father.
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Scripture
Luke 2:41-47
His parents went every year to Jerusalem at the feast of the Passover. When he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast; and when they had fulfilled the days, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. Joseph and his mother didn’t know it, … After three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the middle of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. All who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.
Spiritual fruit: piety
Seeking Jesus with Mary and Joseph
After the Passover pilgrimage to Jerusalem, Mary and Joseph discover that Jesus is not among their relatives and companions. They return to the city and search for him. Luke tells us that they find him in the Temple after three days, listening to the teachers and asking questions. Their relief is accompanied by wonder at his understanding and by words whose meaning they do not yet fully grasp.
Read Luke 2:41–52 for the complete account. Jesus speaks of his Father, and then returns to Nazareth with Mary and Joseph, remaining obedient to them. Mary keeps these events in her heart. The fifth Joyful Mystery brings together the revelation of Jesus' unique relationship with the Father and the hidden years of family life that follow.
The fruit of piety
Piety draws the heart toward God with the affection of a child. In this mystery, we ask to seek the Father's will and to make room for prayer, worship, and learning. Returning to Mass after an absence, or setting aside time to read Scripture, can help restore a neglected habit of prayer. In this decade we ask for that desire to know God and take part in the Church's worship.
Mary and Joseph's search can speak gently to anyone who feels distant from Christ. Spiritual dryness is not proof that God has abandoned you. Prayer may have become unsettled, or a consolation once familiar may be absent. Mary and Joseph's anxious search gives us something concrete to contemplate while we ask for help in returning to prayer.
There is also a place here for the concerns of parents and caregivers. This decade can be offered for families searching for a missing child. We also remember parents who are estranged from their children and waiting for contact. Luke records Mary's distress plainly; her faith accompanies her concern for her Son.
Keeping the mystery in the heart
Mary keeps these things in her heart. Jesus returns to Nazareth with his parents and is obedient to them. The account ends with his growth in wisdom and stature, bringing the Joyful Mysteries back to the hidden years of family life.
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