A preliminary note regarding two common heretical errors people (even priests) often make when interpreting the Sunday Gospel about the Child Jesus being found in the Temple after he was lost for three days.
First, "He grew in wisdom and age and favor before God and men." Our Lord Jesus did not "grow in knowledge" simply speaking through his life, for he knew everything from the first moment of his conception. However, he grew in knowledge "before God and men," meaning that the perfection of his knowledge was progressively revealed to men - indeed, the very revelation of this passage of St Luke's Gospel is that Christ's perfect wisdom aroused admiration in men.
Second, "Son, why have you done this to us?" We must never think that Jesus was in any way disobedient to Joseph and Mary, or that he ever did anything that was less than perfect. In fact, the very point of this passage is that "Jesus was obedient to them" - the Christ Child is the model of obedience, who give true honor to his foster-father and mother. Indeed, Jesus' obedience to Joseph and Mary reveals the perfect obedience he has as man to his heavenly Father.
The obedience of Christ is a model for our own obedience. Charity is the virtue which brings the soul to perfection, but three other virtues protect and advance charity in the soul: Poverty, Chastity and Obedience. Poverty consecrates our external possessions to God, chastity consecrates our body to God, but obedience (which is most interior, and therefore most necessary) consecrates our heart to God.
Our obedience to God is expressed and realized in our obedience to them God has placed in authority over us. Children, obey your parents. Wives, obey your husbands. Men, obey your pastors and your government.
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