Holy Family. These two words – Holy and Family – unfortunately are scorned in our society today. When people hear the word Holy - people think - too traditional – too serious – such a kill joy to be holy…
Feast of Holy Family (based on the Gospel of Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23)
December 29, 2019
Holy Family. These two words – Holy and Family – unfortunately are scorned in our society today. When people hear the word Holy - people think - too traditional – too serious – such a kill joy to be holy… and it is so unfortunate because people do not realize that true lasting joy and happiness, fullness of life can be found in a holy life, God-centered life.
The word Family – this word is being re-defined now in our society and it now means all kinds of living arrangements or non-traditional families people get into… anything goes… nowadays. Families have been and continue to be greatly challenged and threatened from all fronts.
And yet - we still cannot deny that families are a treasure all of us must value and protect and it is a great challenge for all of us to nurture this treasure that God has given us… our family as a gift from God.
The heart of our parish is not this church. The heart of the universal church is not the Vatican. The heart of the church is the family… the domestic church - the foundation and hope of our society.
Pope Francis and Cardinal Luis Tagle both mentioned that we should pay attention to our youth, the young people.
And the family is still the single most significant influence to the youth. The quality of our youth reflects to us the state and quality of society. The state of the youth reflects to us what is happening in the family.
That is why it is so disburbing to hear and watch in the news cases of teen suicides and crimes being committed by the youth.
So - The question to us is this: How is our own family doing?
This last Sunday of the calendar year is a wonderful time to celebrate the feast of the Holy Family…an ideal time to ask ourselves: how is my own family doing? Is there peace at our homes? Is there Love? Is there forgiveness? Do we place God above all?
Let us ask ourselves, what needs to be changed and what more can we do to make our family not only better but holier? Do the members of our families see in each other – a gift from God?
In our modern secular – even atheistic society, people have some ideas of what makes families well adjusted, psychologically balanced, healthy, happy families:
Such as good communications, mutual respect, right balance of authority and obedience; parents know when to let go of their children timely and appropriately, etc. –
Admittedly - they are practical - helpful - good advise – to be a happier functional family – even non-believers subscribe to these principles or “common sense” values… But - the question is – are those enough to make us a Holy Family?... as God meant for us… so that we will be truly blessed.
The atheists – they say: “goodness without God is good enough…so, be good for goodness sake.” We even hear that phrase as part of a popular Christmas song…. Well, in truth, that is not good enough – because it must be – “Be good for God’s sake”, for the love of God…
Even among the religious, church goers, the faithful – we often hear family members – for example -saying: I am OK compared to that guy …I am not such a bad parent compared to others… so – I am OK - or my family is OK compared to that family….
Comparing our families with other families - is NOT JUST, it is NOT WISE –
Yet, many of us think or say this. "I wish my children were like theirs. I wish my husband was like her husband or I wish my wife was like his wife. I wish my parents were like my friend’s parents. " And so we use others as our standard.
That is wrong - because every family is a unique relationship of unique individuals, and every family has challenges which neighbors usually do not see. In fact, we really do not know everything that happens inside other people’s homes – once they close their doors. So, we really cannot judge whether a family is good or bad.
If we really want to compare ourselves as individuals and as a family – let us look at the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph.
Of course, people will quickly argue, “Jesus is God, Mary was immaculately conceived, and Joseph had to be a saint to be able to deal with everything that happened. How can we possibly be like them?”
We forget that the three of them, including Jesus, were just as human as we are – fully human. Theirs was a real family who experienced many of the same challenges each of us experience. At the beginning of their family life, there was talk of divorce when Joseph found out that Mary was pregnant even before they lived together. You can just imagine the confusion and dilemma Joseph must have experienced feeling betrayed. Joseph must have felt terrible when he had to bring his wife to a stable to give birth to their child, and then used the feeding box for animals to lay the baby.
After Jesus’ birth, as we heard in the Gospel, they had to escape from Herod’s murderous intention, so they lived in a foreign country, Egypt, away from their families and friends.
When Jesus was twelve, His parents searched for Him everywhere for three days. You see, just like any family – they had their share of struggles and occasional tensions and misunderstandings.
Mary found herself at the foot of the cross of her young son, brutally tortured and crucified.
Still, the Holy Family made it through the difficulties of their family life – How? - They had great faith and obedience to God’s will. Joseph – in obedience to God took Mary as his wife even after he found out that Mary was already pregnant. Joseph had faith that God would help him protect the child and Mary – and so, as instructed - he moved his family to Egypt.
Mary – in faith – said yes to God’s plan even without understanding, without knowing what the future holds. Jesus, obedient to God the Father - emptied Himself of His divinity, became one of us and He had faith that God the Father is working through His parents to care for Him and so He was obedient to Mary and Joseph.
So, what makes them holy? Jesus, Mary and Joseph loved each other – out of obedience to God the Father, out of love for God… rooted in their own personal trusting relationship with God the Father. Each of them trusted the Heavenly Father. They placed their love for each other – for their neighbors – within the wider, broader and deeper context and framework of their love for God the Father… … not just for goodness’ sake… but for the love of God.
Holy families do not just happen. They are something we all consciously create every day – that every member of the family create and make constant effort – every day - by working together and persevering – even - in tough times.
Admittedly, within our families we experience the heights of joy and also the depths of pain…God is present in the love, acceptance and forgiveness we offer our loved ones.
Our world desperately needs holy families; well-formed families whose children can grow and go on to form new well-formed holy families…
Often, it is the example of Christian families that attract others to faith. Like the Holy Family, our families have a mission. Blessings come with a mission. We are called to be a blessing to others, to promote God’s message of love, grace and mercy in the world through our examples and our actions as parents, as husbands and wives, as sons and daughters,
The Gospel was born into the family. The Word became flesh in the family; and through our families, let the Gospel be proclaimed.
May all our families be holy.
Grace-filled Holy New Year to Everyone!!!
