Holy Family
1 Sam 1:20-22, 24-281; Jn 3:1-2, 21-24; Lk 2:41-52 (Holy Family C)
Jesus
went down with them to Nazareth and lived under their authority.
On the
Sunday after the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord, Christmas, we consider
the family. Even though we call them the Holy Family that
does not mean they never had problems. Just as each follower of Jesus has a
cross to carry, the holy family also had to experience the cross in their
shared life. Every family is made of unique individuals with positive qualities
and negative quirks.
Sometimes,
the negatives become opportunities for grace, leading the rest of the family to
God. This is what St. Paul is referring to
when he tells the Colossians to “put on, as God's chosen ones, holy and
beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience,
bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance
against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do. And over
all these put on love, that is, the bond of perfection” (Col 3:12-14). The
compassion that we have for the weakest member of the family, whether that be
physically weak, psychologically weak, or morally weak, becomes our means to
grow in union with God. The efforts that we make to accept each other's quirks
are themselves acts of virtue.
The
book Jesus, Son of Sirach, reminds us, “For the Lord sets a father in honor
over his children and confirms a mother’s authority over her sons” (Sir 3:2). Sometimes
parents get down on themselves for not being the best parents possible. Being
the best parent possible is an ideal you strive for, not a reality you will
reach. Being the best priest possible is an ideal I strive for; it is not a
reality I will ever reach out to. We all need to trust in God.
What
sustained the family of Nazareth through all of these trials and crosses? What
holds families together in times of difficulty is love and trust. Whenever
families are happy, love and respect are highly prized among them. We pray for
an outpouring of those qualities in our families today. A major threat to
family life nowadays is our lack of time together. We are so busy working, socializing,
using our electronic gadgets, or watching TV that we have no time to talk to
each other.
Today,
we must all look for Christ's wisdom to bring it to our families. Origin, an
early Church Father, commenting on today's Gospel, said that whoever is looking
for Christ, must not carelessly seek him, as those who fail in finding him. We
must look for Him with “anxiety”, and with great solicitude, as Joseph and Mary
did.
“As Jesus grew up, he advanced in wisdom and favour with
God and men”
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