A Reflection for Feast of the Holy Family (Year C).
1 Samuel 1:20-22, 24-28 – Colossians 3:12-21 – Luke 2:41-52.
Brothers and sisters, today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Jesus, the Holy One of God prophesied by Isaiah and longed for by generations, was physically, mentally and spiritually present to humanity in the context of that little family. The physical presence of Jesus – God Himself incarnate and born! – induced adoration, amazement and total devotion in people from across the social spectrum back then, and His perpetual presence continues to do so in us right now. Each and every one of us who is associated with Jesus, each and every one of us who is one with Him in the context of a family, is sanctified by His presence. Think about that. WOW!
We celebrate the Holy Family confected by God to welcome the Lord Jesus: Our Lady, without stain of sin from the moment of her conception, whose sole ambition in life was to please God; and Saint Joseph whose purity, moral rectitude and sheer courage equipped him to be Jesus’ foster-father. Our Lady’s acceptance of God’s invitation to bear the Son of God within her womb is mirrored by Holy Mother Church on this Solemnity as She, the Church, literally bears Christ within Her even now. Our own family units mirror the Church on a small scale and we, the members, rejoice because Jesus is in our midst too!
So, what do today’s readings tell us about family life and about how to ensure that family life is holy? The families of Samuel, Hannah and Elkanah and of Jesus, Mary and Joseph emphasise for us of the importance of the family unit having a relationship with God. In the first reading, we are presented with the character of Hannah, wife of Elkanah, whose prayer prompted divine intervention in her family with the conception and birth of Samuel. That family was obedient in terms of religious observance, listening to God, and of doing His will. Mary and Joseph were obedient in these too, and today’s Gospel reading gives the example of their going down to the Temple annually as members of the People of God to celebrate the Passover.
Note that these families prioritised the child. Hannah, having longed for God’s gift of a child (cf. Ps 127:3), was so thankful that she presented him to God. Our Lady presented herself in the Temple when she was aged only three. When Our Lady and Saint Joseph discovered that Jesus was not in the caravan returning to Nazareth after Passover, they went on a three-day search for Him until they found Him in the Temple. By then, Jesus had come of age and was legally able to make his own decisions. There was no such thing as “a teenager” in those days… a boy’s status changed straight from boy to man after attaining 12 years. Nonetheless, Mary and Joseph didn’t rest until they found Him among the academics in the Temple and asking questions of them about His own Law. That experience reminds us of the pressures and stresses that come with raising a child. On the one hand, raising a child is hard, but on the other hand it is a love affair: parents are ready to do anything for the child in the care, to lay themselves down for his or her good. By extension, this reality gives us an insight into just how much God cares for all His children without exception. God doesn’t want anyone to be lost; rather, He goes in search of His children whenever they go missing.
From the viewpoint of young people growing to maturity in a family unit, sometimes they wonder whether their parents fully grasp which things are important to them. Jesus asked Mary and Joseph with a straight face whether they knew that He must be busy with His Father’s affairs. He wasn’t being facetious: God never is. They knew from the outset that they were called by God the Father and God the Holy Spirit to look after God the Son in preparation for His mission. Our Lady’s plea that that they were worried about Him resonates with every parent, doesn’t it? Similar situations in the context of an earthly home test of the maturity of the parents, test their ability to change their own relationship with their offspring from that of parent-to-child to adult-to-adult, and test their ability to guide him or her in such a way as to bring out the best in them and enable them to discover their God-given purpose in life.
These two holy families in today’s readings remind us that children are simultaneously the joy of their parents and a source of worry. Every child has the right to be cherished, guided on the right path, and helped to know and appreciate God’s presence in their life. Today we pray for all families, and especially for the children, for in them is the continued wellbeing of the family, the Church, society and the world. We pray that husbands, wives and children will respond to God’s call to love Him, serve Him and be faithful to Him.
Finally, let us reflect on the wonders of God’s love for each one of us. He loves us so much so that He calls us His children (1Jn 3:1). God is Love, and He has given us the commandment to love one another as I have loved you (Jn 15:12; 13:34). Let us live and act with love in our hearts, with demonstrable devotion to God and care for one another. May God help our families to mirror the Holy Family of Nazareth – the family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph – and may our families, like theirs, be where love finds a home. Amen. God bless you.