Today’s Gospel falls on the final Sunday of 2024. It is hard to believe that we are on the horizon of a new year—of new experiences, goals, and opportunities.

But before we embrace the year ahead, we would like to take this opportunity to reflect on the one that has nearly passed. For as at CMMB, today’s Gospel offers guidance on our reflection.

When we begin reading, we learn that Jesus is not where his parents expect him to be. Jesus and his parents have just traveled to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover. While traveling alongside others on the journey home, Mary and Joseph do not realize that Jesus has stayed behind. Frightened, they return to Jerusalem to find Jesus in the temple, listening, learning, and asking questions.

Upon finding him, Jesus’ parents express how fearful they felt.

Jesus asks, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”

Mary and Joseph do not understand the meaning behind these words. So they return home with their son and witness him advance in “wisdom and age and favor before God and man” as the years pass.

How can the Gospel guide our reflection on a year gone by? For us at CMMB, it reminds us to open our hearts to learning. It encourages us to look back at successes and challenges alike, at milestones reached, and at the surprises met. But most importantly, it encourages us to ask what is next? What lessons can we take from last year to continue growing in the next?

We hope your answers leave you eager and inspired to embark on this New Year. We are grateful to be doing so alongside you.