The Fifth Joyful Mystery of the Rosary is the Finding of Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2:41-52). The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: “The finding of Jesus in the temple is the only event that breaks the silence of the Gospels about the hidden years of Jesus. Here Jesus lets us catch a glimpse of the mystery of his total consecration to a mission that flows from his divine sonship: ‘Did you not know that I must be about my Father’s work?’ Mary and Joseph did not understand these words, but they accepted them in faith. Mary ‘kept all these things in her heart’ during the years Jesus remained hidden in the silence of an ordinary life.”
The losing and the finding of Jesus anticipated the death and resurrection of Christ. Venerable Fulton J. Sheen wrote, “All through His infancy there was talk of ‘contradiction,’ ‘swords,’ ‘no room,’ ‘exile,’ ‘slaughter,’ and now there was ‘loss.’ In those three days, Mary came to know one of the effects of sin, namely, the loss of God. Though she was without sin, nevertheless she knew the fears and the loneliness, the darkness and the isolation which every sinner experience when he loses God. It was a kind of glorified hide-and-seek. He was hers; that was why she sought Him. He was on the business of redemption; that was why He left her and went to the temple. She had her dark night of the body in Egypt; she would now have her dark night of the soul in Jerusalem. Mothers must be trained to bear crosses. Not only her body, but also her soul would have to pay dearly for the privilege of being His mother. She would later suffer another three-day loss from Good Friday to Easter Sunday. This first loss was part of her preparation.”
There are parallels between the finding of Jesus in the temple and the empty tomb story, both in the Gospel of Luke.
Luke 2:46 states: “After three days they found him in the temple,” and in Luke 24:7, the two men told the women that the Son of Man must “on the third day rise”.
Jesus asked Our Lady, “How is it that you sought me?” and the two men asked the women, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?”
Our Lady “kept all these things in her heart.” The term translated as “things” could also mean “words,” as the holy women “remembered his words.”
Dr. Pius Parsch wrote, “Mary represents the Church; the Church through suffering and participation in Christ’s work comes into possession of the graces of redemption and awaits the great, final manifestation of Christ. This Second Coming was prefigured by the finding of the boy Jesus in the temple. Our Mother the Church is now seeking Him ‘in sorrow.’ Then when He will have been truly found, that is, when He comes at the Parousia, He will say, ‘Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?’, that I must be enthroned at My Father’s right hand? The holy sacrifice of the Mass is an anticipated actualization of His return.”
The Gospel summed up the hidden life of Jesus with these words: “And he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them.”
The Catechism states: “The obedience of Christ in the daily routine of his hidden life was already inaugurating his work of restoring what the disobedience of Adam had destroyed.”
St Josemaría Escrivá wrote, “His hidden years are not without significance, nor were they simply a preparation for the years which were to come after – those of his public life. [. . .] God wants our Lord’s whole life to be an example for Christians. [. . .] Our Lord wants many people to ratify their vocation during years of quiet, unspectacular living.”
光榮的捉迷藏
玫瑰經歡喜五端是耶穌十二齡講道（路2:41-52）。天主教教理說：『在聖殿中尋回耶穌是打破了福音有關耶穌隱居生活緘默的唯一事件。在這事上，耶穌使人約略看到祂那完全獻身於天主子使命的奧秘：「你們不知道我必須在我父親那裡嗎？」(路 2:49)瑪利亞和若瑟「不明白」祂的話，但以信德接受了，而瑪利亞則在耶穌的整個隱居生活內，「把這一切默存在心中」(路 2:51)。』
耶穌的失落和找到，預告了祂的死亡和復活。可敬Fulton J. Sheen寫道：『祂嬰孩期涵蓋著「矛盾」，「利劍」，「沒有地方」，「流放」，「屠殺」的話題，現在談的是「失落」。在這三天裡，瑪利亞認識到罪惡後果的一種，就是失落了天主。雖然她是沒有犯罪，但她明白那恐懼和那寂寞，這黑暗和隔離就是罪人失落天主所體驗到的。這似是光榮的捉迷藏。祂是她的；這是她尋找祂的原因。祂是在作救贖的工作；所以祂離開了她，去了聖殿。在埃及她身軀體驗黑暗的夜晚；現在在耶路撤冷，她靈瑰體驗黑暗的夜晚。母親們要訓練去背負十字架。能夠有作為祂母親的榮耀，不單是她的軀體，她的靈瑰也要作很大的代價。她日後也擔當了失落耶穌三天的苦痛，由耶穌受難日到復活主日。這第一次的失落，就為她作好準備。』
在聖殿找到耶穌（路2:41-52）和空墳故事（路24:1-8）是相對的。
路2:46記載：『過了三天，才在聖殿裏找到了衪。』，路24:7，兩個人告訴婦人們說人子要『在第三天復活』。
耶穌問聖母說：『你們為什麼找我?』 （路2:49）和這兩個人問婦人們說：『妳們為什麼在死人中找活人呢﹖』（路24:5）聖母『把一切默存在心中。』『事物』這個名詞，也有『說話』之意。婦人們『遂想起了衪的話』。（路24:8）
Pius Parch博士寫道『瑪利亞代表聖教會；教會經過受苦和參加基督的工作，遂擁有救贖的恩典，並等待那偉大的，最後的顯現。這個第二次的來臨，預見於聖殿找到耶穌的事故。我們的母親、教會現在是在「痛苦」中找尋祂。然後當真正的找到祂時，就是祂再來的時候，祂會說：「你知道我要作我父的工作嗎？」我會由父的右邊登基為王？彌撒的聖犧牲是祂真實回來的預見』。
福音以這些句語總結耶穌隱蔽的生命：『衪就同他們下去，來到納匝肋，屬他們管轄。』（路2:51）
教理說：『基督在日常隱居生活的服從，已展開了那因亞當的抗命而破 壞的重建工程。 』
聖施禮華寫道：『祂的隱蔽生活並非沒有重要性的，也不只是為祂的來年作準備—祂的公開生命[…]天主要祂整個生命都成為基督徒的模範。[…]我主願意很多的人在靜寂的歲月中，不輝皇的生活中，找到他們的召叫』。