Every superhero has an origin story, and the origin story is always integral to the identity and subsequent life of the superhero.  If you are unfamiliar with superheroes or origin stories, your grandchildren can probably provide you with remedial education. 

Super Man, as you probably know, came from Krypton and was perceived as “Super” on Earth because of his extraterrestrial origins.  You might or might not know that Batman came from wealth, but he became Batman because of a dank cave.  Spiderman was bitten by a spider.  Personally, I think his origin story needs some improvement. 

There were origin stories in the ancient world, as well, but these were not about superheroes; rather, they were about privileged people who demanded to be treated as heroic.  Every victorious military General Officer had an origin story that depicted his military prowess as having been obvious even at a very young age.  Every great King or Queen had an origin story that depicted the ruler’s talent for governance as being evident at the very beginning of the ruler’s life. 

These ancient origin stories were called “infancy narratives.”  An infancy narrative intended to show that the success enjoyed by conquering heroes and reigning despots was foreordained by fate.  That is to say that infancy narratives were composed primarily to maintain a political status quo. 

The authors of Matthew’s Gospel and Luke’s Gospel used the literary device of the infancy narrative, but not for the purpose of legitimizing a political regime or a culture.  The infancy narratives in the Gospels depict some of Jesus’ messianic qualities as having been perceptible at his birth or during his childhood.  Jesus’ early life was depicted in this way to make clear that God’s intent to redeem the world is a plan of eternal origin rather than an act of Divine desperation.  God always intended the redeem the world, not because the world is a disgrace but because the world was created as the proper subject of God’s graciousness. 

Today’s Gospel reading is taken from Luke’s Infancy Narrative.  It depicts the child Jesus as precocious and very inspired at an early age by an awareness of God’s presence and power. 

The events that led to Jesus’ appearance in the Temple aren’t as unusual as they might seem.  A pilgrimage to Jerusalem like the one made by Joseph, Mary, and Jesus was not a solitary undertaking.  The Holy Family would have traveled with relatives, friends, and/or neighbors.  When Jesus couldn’t be located, Joseph and Mary would have assumed that he was somewhere in the group of their fellow pilgrims. (Lk 2:44)  When it became apparent that Jesus was absent from the group, his parents retraced their steps looking for him. 

Finding Jesus in the Temple, conversing with religious leaders about matters of faith, would have been unusual.  The attentiveness of the religious scholars and his parents’ consternation serve as indicators of an unique future for the boy.  This part of Luke’s Infancy Narrative intends to give us insight into the origins of Jesus’ wisdom and knowledge of the Scriptures.  The story also prefigures how Jesus would relate to his family during his adulthood. 

We can infer from the Gospels that, as an adult, Jesus left his family home to pursue his divinely given vocation.  It appears that, at first, he joined John the Baptist’s reform movement but eventually began his own ministry of teaching and healing.  He was not disrespectful to his family, but he felt the need to leave their company in order to serve God.   

After he started his own ministry, he gathered a new, fictive family of disciples; these he entrusted with continuing his mission after his death.  Jesus’ adult relationships were based on his obedience to God and his compassion for the plight of those who suffered.  Luke’s Infancy Narrative wants us to see that these attitudes were evident in Jesus’ life from his earliest days. 

The Gospel doesn’t intend to provide us with sterile historical data.  Rather, it intends to help us form our lives after the pattern of Jesus’ life.  The message foreshadowed in the Infancy Narrative unfolds and repeats throughout the Gospel.  The way in which Jesus related to his family was the way he related to other people, and the way he related other people was the way he related to God.   

That consistent pattern of interpersonal relationships was not unique to Jesus.  Each person relates to God and others in the same way that the person relates to family.  Unlike Jesus, however, not every person’s interactions are based on faithfulness and aimed toward mercy.  For this reason, the Gospel gives us insight into Jesus’ life so that we can appropriate his attitudes and imitate his actions. 

Human nature’s origin story is reflected in the ancient infancy narratives of powerful people who liked to impose their will on others.  Like despots and conquerors, unredeemed human nature covets the attention and respect of the whole world.  The infancy narratives in the Gospels portray human nature’s redemption story rather than its origin story.  In today’s Gospel we see the faithful, trusting, and gracious beginnings of Jesus’ life, and we are taught to give all people the mercy and care God gives to the world.