Sunday, December 27, 2020

The Third Day of Christmas- The Holy Family

The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph

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! 

 

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