Losing then finding Christ

"Give us this day our daily bread."

Today as I was praying the Rosary, I found myself especially drawn to the 5th joyful mystery -- the losing, then finding of Jesus in the temple.

Sometimes it feels as if the Church has lost Christ. How can we find Him again?

I imagined how Mary and Joseph must have felt when they realized that Jesus was not among those who were on there way home from Jerusalem. They frantically went back to Jerusalem and searched everywhere for him. Finally, they found him in the temple. And the young Christ's reply was that they should have known that they would find him in his Father's house.

Then I remembered how the Apostles in a boat on the Sea of Galilee were caught in a storm. Perhaps they thought that this would be their last day. But then Jesus appeared, walking on the water. And the waves calmed and the winds blew no more.

Finally I recalled the Passion of Our Lord -- the darkest days in the history of the Church and of the world. How must the disciples of Christ have felt when He was crucified? They must have felt like everything was lost and God had abandoned them.

As I meditated on the mystery of Joseph and Mary losing the young Jesus, I realized that the Church has passed through crisis before. But miraculously, God has always saved the Church so that we could continue to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Lent is a time when we are called to sacrifice. It is a time of reflection. It begins with Ash Wednesday when we are reminded that we will all face the Day of Judgement. It ends with Easter Sunday and the Resurrection.