Mary ends on a happy note, with Mary and Joseph returning to Nazareth to bring the infant Jesus to the Temple where Anna the Prophetess is waiting for them, along with Mary's mother.

This image of the Holy Family, created by artist David Hayward, emphasizes the fact that Mary, Joseph and Jesus were refugees, a frightful circumstance, as contributor Cathleen Falsani points out.

The criticisms are based on the argument that Mary and Joseph, and their son Jesus, a Jewish man born in Bethlehem, were, in fact, Palestinian.

The finding of Our Lord in the Temple is recounted in Luke 2:42-50: And when he was 12 years old, they went up according to custom; and when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy ...

In Jesus’ day, while the Temple still existed, devout Jews made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem to be in the Holy City for Passover, the most important feast of the Jewish year.

What one might not expect, however, is how these prayers affected Jesus’ mother. Mary is hardly passive in this Temple scene. Simeon has a prophetic message for her specifically.

Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph December 29, 2024 Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14 Psalm 128 Colossians 3:12-21 or 3:12-17 Luke 2:41-52 ...

Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph December 29, 2024 Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14 Psalm 128 Colossians 3:12-21 or 3:12-17 Luke 2:41-52 ...