92. (Vers. 40.). As for the advance of age in the flesh it is said: But the child grew, namely in body, as Bede explains: "Insofar as he was a child , that is, a fragile man, he could grow, just as other men, not insofar as he was the Word ". - As for the perfection of virtue in the mind it is added: He was strengthened. The perfection of mental virtue consists in three things, namely in the vigor of power with respect to the irascible, in the splendor of wisdom with respect to the rational, and in the fervor of grace with respect to the concupiscible. - As for the vigor of power of the irascible, it is said: And he was strengthened: Ezekiel three: "The hand of the Lord was with me, strengthening me"; Philippians, the last chapter: "I can do all things in him who strengthens me". - As for the splendor of wisdom in the rational, it is added: Full of wisdom: Colossians two: "For in him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge"; and Isaiah eleven: "The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding". - As for the fervor of grace in the concupiscible, it is added: And the grace of God was in him: Sirach twenty-four: "In me is all grace of the way and of truth, in me is all hope of life", etc.; and John one: "And we saw his glory, the glory as of the Only-begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth".
93. (Vers. 41.). And his parents went etc. Here is described the reverence of the divine majesty, which consists in the worship of religion, and is shown in Christ according to the guidance of the parents and according to his own instinct. - As for the guidance of the parents it is said: And his parents went every year to Jerusalem. For so it was commanded in the Law: Exodus twenty-three: "Three times in the year you shall celebrate feasts to me". And it is to be believed that they also brought Jesus, because it is added there: "Three times in the year every male of yours shall appear before the Lord your God"; and this in Jerusalem, according to the precept of Deuteronomy, the twelfth chapter: "You shall come to the place which the Lord your God shall choose out of all your tribes". And this place was Jerusalem, according to what is said in Second Chronicles, the seventh chapter: "I have chosen and sanctified this place, that my name may be there forever". And they performed this worship especially at the Passover, and therefore it is added: On the solemn day of the Passover: Exodus twelve: "You shall have this day as a memorial, and you shall celebrate it as a solemnity to the Lord throughout your generations with everlasting worship".
94. (Vers. 42.). But as regards his own impulse, the boy Jesus also devoted himself to divine worship: concerning which it is added: And when he was twelve years old; in which it is shown that the boy Jesus devoted himself to divine worship without his parents' company, without their counsel, without their approval. - Without their company indeed: for although he went up with the company of his parents, nevertheless he remained without them: on account of which it is said: As they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast day, namely to pray, as below in the eighteenth chapter, "Two men went up to the temple to pray"; and Acts chapter three: "Peter and John went up to the temple," etc.
(Vers. 43.). And when the days were completed, as they returned, namely to their own homes, according to that passage in Judith chapter sixteen: "When the feast was celebrated, each one returned to his own home." And while all returned, Jesus nevertheless did not: whence it is added: The boy Jesus remained in Jerusalem, and thus alone, without the company of his parents. - A figure of this preceded in the boy Samuel, of whom it is said in First Kings chapter two, that "Elkanah departed," his father, and his mother departed "to her own home: but the boy ministered before the Lord." Whence he had remained alone, so that he might better devote himself to prayer: Lamentations chapter three: "He shall sit solitary and be silent." And thus he remained by his own impulse without the company of his parents.
95. He also remained without counsel: whence it is added: And his parents did not know. A figure of this preceded in Samson, "who did not wish to tell his father and mother that he had taken honey from the mouth of the lion," Judges chapter fourteen. In this he also gave an example that in carrying out divine service, counsel is not to be sought from carnal parents: Deuteronomy chapter thirty-three: "He who said to his father and mother: I do not know you: and to his brothers: I know you not: these have kept your word and preserved your covenant."
96. (Vers. 44.). And lest you think that this ignorance was from negligence, on account of which Mary would be blameworthy, he adds the cause: But supposing him to be in the company, they came a day's journey: because, since the men traveled with the men, and the women with the women separately, it was probable to the father that the boy was with his mother, and probable to the mother that he was with his father. And therefore they were mistaken. He was not of the kind of those about whom it is said in Job chapter twenty-one: "Their seed endures before them, the throng of their kinsmen and grandchildren in their sight," but he was like him of whom it is said in the Psalm: "I looked to the right hand and saw, and there was none who knew me." And thus he remained without his parents' counsel.
97. He also remained without approval, because they sought with sorrow him whom they had lost: whence it is added: And they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintances: and yet they did not find him, because such people are far removed from him; Job chapter nineteen: "My acquaintances have withdrawn from me as strangers."
98. (Vers. 45.). And therefore there follows: And not finding him, they returned to Jerusalem, so that him whom they could not find in the company of their kindred they might find in the place of prayer, according to that word of the Psalm: "Behold, we heard of him in Ephrata"; and after: "We shall enter into his tabernacle." They returned, I say, seeking him; according to that word of Song of Songs chapter three: "I will rise and go about the city; I will seek him whom my soul loveth"; thus spoke the Virgin Mary; and again Song of Songs chapter five: "I sought him, and found him not; I called him, and he did not answer me." "I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, that if you find my beloved, you tell him that I languish with love."
99. In this moreover we are admonished that from infancy itself we should be devoted to divine worship: First Kings chapter two: "Samuel ministered before the face of the Lord, a boy girded with a linen ephod"; and especially from the twelfth year, because then begins the time of discretion to be turned toward the good. Whence it is said of Saint Martin that "when he was twelve years old, he desired the desert"; similarly it is said of blessed Benedict. Therefore the Evangelist specifies this age. — We are also admonished that we should in no way interrupt divine worship on account of love for parents: whence Jerome: "Over your trampled father, go forward; over your trampled mother, go forward, and fly to the standard of the cross. For the highest kind of piety is to be cruel in these matters"; for it is said in Matthew chapter ten: "He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me."
100. And it came to pass after three days etc. Above the Evangelist showed how Christ the Lord was made under the moral law with respect to the worship of the divine majesty; here secondly he shows how he was made under the same law with respect to the study of truth: in which the Evangelist first describes his humiliation in assuming the form of a disciple; secondly, his glorification in revealing the prerogative of wisdom, at the words: But they were astonished etc.
101. (Vers. 46.). He shows that the Savior assumed the form of a disciple, when it is said: And it came to pass, after three days they found him in the temple sitting. Sitting designates rest and humility: for he knew that "it is better to sit in a corner of the housetop than with a quarrelsome woman and in a common house," Proverbs twenty-one. Sitting, I say, in the midst of the doctors: Ecclesiasticus fifteen: "In the midst of the church he opened his mouth, and filled him with the spirit of wisdom and understanding." For he knew it was written: "He who walks with the wise shall be wiser; the friend of fools shall become like them," Proverbs thirteen. — And in this he teaches that the fellowship of students is to be cherished, not for disputing, but for conferring: on account of which it is added: Listening to them and asking them questions. For this is the exercise of the learner, that he should listen and ask about doubtful matters: Ecclesiasticus thirty-two: "Listen in silence, and for your reverence good grace shall come to you," because "a good ear will hear wisdom with all desire," Ecclesiasticus three: and therefore it is said in John eight: "He who is of God hears the words of God." Because it is not sufficient to hear, therefore it is added: And asking them questions: Job eight: "Ask the former generation, and diligently search the memory of the fathers"; and Deuteronomy thirty-two: "Ask your father, and he will declare to you," etc. He was asking, however, not that he might be taught, but rather that he might teach. Jerome: "The Savior had completed twelve years, and questioning the priests in the temple, he teaches more while he prudently questions."
102. In this, however, it is to be noted spiritually that Christ teaches us that we ought to learn before we teach, according to that saying of Ecclesiasticus eighteen: "Before you speak, learn." And therefore he willed to be found in the midst of the doctors and in the temple, because in the reading of the Scriptures and in prayer truth is found.
Whence note that Christ was found in a manger: above in the same chapter: "This shall be a sign unto you"; that is, in the study of sacred Scripture, because, according to what is said in Proverbs fourteen, "where there are no oxen, the manger is empty." The oxen are preachers: First Corinthians nine: "You shall not muzzle the ox that treads out the grain," etc. — He was found in a house: Matthew two: "Entering the house"; that is, in the examination of a quiet conscience: Wisdom eight: "Entering my house, I shall find rest with her." — He was also found in the temple, as here, that is, in the fellowship of the holy Church, because "the Lord is in his holy temple," as is said in the Psalm. — But he is not found in the tomb of erroneous doctrine: Luke last chapter: The women "came to the tomb and did not find the body of Jesus"; nor indeed in the bed of a restless conscience: Song of Songs three: "In my bed I sought him whom my soul loves; I sought him and did not find him"; nor is he found in the fellowship of a worldly life: Job twenty-eight: "But wisdom, where is it found?" and afterwards: "It is not found in the land of those who live pleasantly."
103. (Verse 47.). And they were astonished, etc. Here after the humiliation he adds the clarification: when it is said: And all who heard him were astonished at his understanding and his answers: because he answered most wisely, beyond estimation. For astonishment arises from an unusual and great impression: below in chapter five: "Astonishment seized them all"; Job twelve: "He leads counselors to a foolish end and judges to astonishment." And thus was fulfilled that saying of Wisdom eight: "On account of her I shall have glory among the multitudes and honor among the elders, though young; I shall be found keen in judgment, and in the sight of the powerful I shall be admirable; the faces of princes shall wonder at me." This was fulfilled in Christ at this time. — A figure of this preceded in Third Kings ten, where it is said that "the queen of Sheba, seeing the wisdom of Solomon, had no more spirit in her," on account of exceeding wonder.
104. (Verse 48.). And not only those strangers were astonished, but also the parents: whence it is added: And seeing him, they wondered: Matthew seven: "The crowds wondered at his teaching." And truly it was wondrous that he answered what he had not learned: John seven: "The Jews wondered, saying: How does this man know letters, since he has not learned?"
105. And his Mother said, etc. Here thirdly he shows how he was made subject to the moral law with respect to the duty of piety: in which first is set forth the humiliation, and then is added the clarification, at the point: And his Mother kept all these words in her heart.
Humiliation, however, is shown in two things, namely in submitting to one who corrects and in obeying one who commands. For Christ subjected himself to his Mother correcting him: on account of which it is said: And his Mother said to him: Son, why have you done this to us? She speaks with greater confidence and asks the reason for his departure, since she knows that she ought to be honored by him, according to that passage in Exodus 20: "Honor your father and your mother"; and Proverbs 6: "Keep, my son, the precepts of your father, and do not forsake the law of your mother." But you, she says, have troubled us: whence she adds: Your father, namely putative or adoptive or nurturing: and I have been seeking you sorrowing, as if together we were saying that passage from Tobit 10: "Alas, my son, why did we send you away to travel, the light of our eyes, the staff of our old age, the comfort of our life! For having all things in you alone, we ought not to have let you go."
106. (Verse 49.). And note that he responds to the question humbly and wisely: whence it is added: And he said to them: Why is it that you sought me? As if I were absent, when I was present to you: Jeremiah 23: "I fill heaven and earth"; and this showed that he was the Son of the eternal Father. Whence he adds: Did you not know that I must be about the things that are my Father's? John 6: "I came down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me." Whence you ought not to wonder if I left you on account of the eternal Father, because thus it is said in Acts 5: "It is necessary to obey God rather than men."
107. (Verse 50.). And because the word was hidden, it is added: And they did not understand: First Corinthians 2: "We speak wisdom hidden in mystery"; and Tobit 12: "It is good to hide the secret of a king." — In this, however, that Christ, when he was corrected, humbly excused himself, and when he was invited by his Mother to perform a miracle, responded harshly, he gave us an example and pattern of humility, so that we should prefer to be corrected rather than praised: Ecclesiastes 7: "It is better to be corrected by a wise man than to be deceived by the flattery of fools." At the same time he also intimated by this that piety toward God is to be preferred to piety with respect to parents.
108. (Vers. 51.). The Lord also submitted to the one commanding; on account of which it is added: And he went down with them and came to Nazareth. Now that passage from Baruch 3 was fulfilled: "After these things he was seen on earth and conversed with men." He went down, I say, which is a sign of humiliation: Song of Songs 6: "I went down into my garden to see the fruits of the valleys," that is, the humble. "For the Lord is high and regards the lowly," namely from near at hand, "and knows the lofty from afar." On account of which it is also added: And he was subject to them. Bernard: "Who? To whom? God to men. God, I say, subjects himself to men: and you, eager to dominate, set yourself before your Creator? For as often as I desire to be set over men, so often do I strive to go before my God, so that the Lord might respond something like this to me: Get behind me, Satan, for you do not savor the things that are of God. " Whence he could truly say that passage from 1 Corinthians 9: "Though I was free from all, I made myself the servant of all." And we ought to be subject to all out of love for him: 1 Peter 2: "Be subject to every human creature for the sake of God."
109. And his Mother etc. Here is described his clarification, and this through two things, namely through the testimony of the Mother and through the indication of his own virtue. As for the testimony of the Mother, it is said: And his Mother kept all these words, so that she might bear witness at the proper place and time, as Bede says in the Gloss. So it is said in Daniel 12: "But you, Daniel, close the book and seal the words until the appointed time." And because she understood these things, therefore it is said: Pondering in her heart, according to that passage from Ecclesiastes 8: "The heart of the wise understands the time and the answer"; and in Mark 9 it is said concerning the transfiguration of the Lord that "the disciples kept the word among themselves." For the Apostles had not yet come, to whom "it was given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God," as is said in Matthew 13, who also might confer with one another, according to that passage from Galatians 2: "I conferred with them the Gospel which I preach among the Gentiles."
110. (Vers. 52.). But as to the indication of his own virtue, there is added: And Jesus advanced in age, namely on the part of the body, as Samuel: 1 Kings 2: "The boy Samuel advanced and grew, and was pleasing both to God and to men." And this advancement was according to essence, but the interior advancement was according to evidence, of which it is said: And in wisdom, namely in the intellect, and in grace, in the affections, before God, namely to be honored, and men, to be edified. Nor is this contrary to what is said just above, that "he was full of wisdom"; whence Gregory: "He advanced in wisdom, not by receiving through the passage of time what he did not have, but by revealing to others the gifts of grace and wisdom which he had"; and this for the edification of others: 2 Corinthians 8: "We provide good things, not only before God, but also before men." Whence for our edification he hid his wisdom for a time, to show that we ought to be silent until the proper time, according to that passage of Ecclesiasticus 20: "There is one who is silent, not having the sense of speech, and there is one who is silent, knowing the fitting time. A wise man will be silent until the proper time." At the proper time also he showed it for our salvation, according to that passage of Ecclesiasticus 4: "Do not withhold the word in the time of salvation." Whence, because he did not seek his own glory but God's, not his own advantage but our salvation, therefore he found grace before God and men. The first pertained to justice, the second to mercy: on account of which, Proverbs 3: "Let not mercy and truth forsake you, and you shall find grace and good discipline before God and men."
111. From the foregoing, therefore, we can gather how we ought to attend to the worship of the divine Majesty, the study of truth, and the service of piety. For the worship of the divine Majesty ought to be undertaken from infancy and ought to be preferred to all else out of divine reverence. The study of truth ought to be with due companionship, namely of those who are skilled, and in due order, so that one be a disciple before being a master. The service of piety is observed in this, that we submit ourselves to a spiritual father, whether correcting or commanding. And if we keep these things, then there follows what is set down last, that we advance before God and men.