The feast of Passover was one of the three great pilgrimage feasts when Jews, if at all possible, were to come to the great Temple in Jerusalem.
Mary and Joseph are once again depicted as parents who faithfully followed the practices of their religion, and who made sure that their child was part of this tradition.
Mary and Joseph would have made this more than 63-mile journey on foot with other members of the kinship group traveling from the northern hill town of Nazareth. They were part of a large group and it is not hard to imagine how the absence of their son could have gone unnoticed.
It is also not hard to iamge how they felt when they realized that he was not among their traveling party on the way home.
There are times, sometimes painful times, when we don't feel that the Lord is with us. It's worse when we assume it's our own fault.
Distance from the Lord is something we've all experienced. The best one to talk to this about is the Lord himself.
- Little Blue Book, Diocese of Saginaw