Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14;
Psalm 128; Colossians 3:12-21; Luke 2:22-40
When they had
fulfilled all the prescriptions of the law of the Lord, they returned to
Galilee,
to their own town of Nazareth.
Luke 2:39
I wish I could have been a fly on the wall in the holy
household in Nazareth. Was it really
peace and tranquility all the time? We
can’t really know but the odds are against it.
I always feel sorry for St. Joseph in the equation. He alone of the three was neither divine nor
immaculate. If there was ever a
disagreement he was obviously the one in the wrong. The brief cameos we are given do not provide
enough information about the daily life of the Holy Family. Yet, the Church holds them up as the model
upon which any family may aspire and for which any family may seek
intercession.
That phrase near the end of the Gospel reading is so
pregnant with possibilities. “When they
had fulfilled all the prescriptions of the law of the Lord, they returned to
Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.”
The profound events of the Nativity are past and they return to Nazareth
where the holy home is established. They
will remain here the rest of their days.
The momentous and miraculous events are past. Now there is simply the mundane of ordinary
life. Remember, saints are made, not in the miraculous, but in the mundane.
If you’re like me there’s so much more that we wish we
knew. But the quietness of the
scriptural record bears out that there was nothing noteworthy to mention. So we may safely imagine that the Holy Family
lived a quiet life of daily sanctity.
What might this life have looked like? A portion from St. Paul’s letter to the
Colossians may provide insight: “Wives, be subordinate to your
husbands, as is proper in the Lord.
Husbands, love your wives, and avoid any bitterness toward them. Children, obey your parents in
everything, for this is pleasing to the Lord. Fathers, do not provoke your
children, so they may not become discouraged.” This would be the normal family life of a
first century Jewish family. The
elements that are unique to Christian teaching is the exhortation to the men to
be loving husbands and fathers. While
those same exhortations can be found in the Jewish Scriptures, to be sure, they
were not often the point of emphasis.
The man was the head of his home and so he ruled. However, we are told that St. Joseph was a
just man and we see his tender, loving care to the Holy Family in the flight to
Egypt and in safely guiding them back to Nazareth. We should keep these characteristics foremost
in our minds, especially during this year of St. Joseph.
Sirach outlines for us the rewards that come with
maintaining this godly order in a spirit of true humility and love. We may be confident such blessings abounded
in the midst of the Holy Family.
So what of our own families?
Can we truly be expected to live as the Holy Family? Yes!
And that is why the Church presents them to us as examples.
Men, we are called to be pastors of the Domestic Church. We took this responsibility upon ourselves
when we said our vows of marriage at the altar.
We are not tyrants. We are not
overlords. We are servants. The greatest, according to the teaching of
our Lord, is to be the servant of all.
We are called to lay our lives down for our wives and our children. Most of us believe we would do so in a moment
if the need arose. However, the proof is
in the daily living. We are called to
lay aside our own wants, dreams, ambitions, and preferences for the good of those
who have been entrusted to us. This is
not easy and requires daily- even moment by moment- grace. Men, fortify yourself with grace. If at all possible, attend daily Mass where
you can receive the graces necessary for your calling. If it isn’t possible, at least ensure that
you are spending time in daily prayer for the same reason.
Ladies, entrust yourselves to your husbands. The world will tell you that you owe it to
yourself to refuse submission. Rather,
you are to demand your own way. That, my
dear sisters, was the way of Eve. I beg
you do not be deceived. Rather, listen
to the heart of God revealed in these words of St. Paul. To surrender to a godly man is no
sacrifice. If his heart is attuned to
God you will not be abused. True it is
that man and woman become one in the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony and so should
always work to listen attentively to one another and to prayerfully consider
together the way forward. But if a
disagreement persists, God has charged the man with making the decision the
same way a pastor has that same responsibility in a parish. Pray for your husband, and love him by
supporting his decisions.
Children, obey your parents.
We have our Lord before us as an example. Though He was God, He submitted to their
authority. You will find yourselves
blessed if you are doing the same.
Parents, guide your children tenderly. This does not preclude appropriate
discipline. The sage advice found in
Proverbs still applies: “He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves
him is diligent to discipline him,” [Prov. 13:24]. But also work to teach diligently and be
patient. Let love and tenderness
characterize your relationship with your children. Then the moments of discipline will have
their desired effect.
Will it be peaceful sailing if we do these things? Perhaps for the most part. But there will likely be moments when it is
not so. We are, after all, still fallen
creatures. Yet, nothing is impossible to
God and His grace is more than sufficient for every situation.
As we continue our celebration of Christmas God has given us
the Holy Family for our pattern and our reflection. May Christmas joy indeed permeate our hearts
and our homes as it did for the Holy Family!
No comments:
Post a Comment