II. The anxious parents could not find their Son among His kindred or acquaintance. Hence you are to infer that you ought to divest yourself of all inordinate affection for your kindred, country, and friends if you desire to enjoy the company of your Jesus. St. Bernard justly inquires: "How shall I find you, my good Jesus, among my own kindred, when you could not be found among your own?"
III. He was not to be found either in the more agreeable, or more honorable, or more frequented walks of life. Nor did the spouse in the Canticle find her beloved in " the bed" of ease and pleasure, nor in the " broad ways" of distraction, dissipation, and forgetfulness of God. Christ was found at last in the temple, among the Doctors. Seek your Lord, then, in His church, by fervent prayer, and, though you do not immediately find Him, persevere in the search; for, as the Wise Man observes, " Wisdom is easily seen by those that love her, and is found by them that seek her." (Wis. vi. 13.)
THURSDAY.
Christ Found by His Parents.
I. " And it came to pass, that after three days they found Him in the temple." (Luke ii. 46.) Imagine what joy the holy Virgin felt when she at last discovered her Son in the temple. We seldom know how to appreciate a blessing until we have lost it; and when we regain it, our joy is complete. This is the case in worldly blessings; let it be so in those which are of a spiritual and more elevated nature. When you have regained the grace of God after having lost it by sin, pour out your whole soul in thanksgiving, and cautiously avoid the danger of a similar loss.
