Today’s Gospel reading
on this Feast of the Holy Family gives us a glimpse into the childhood of Jesus
with his Mother, Mary, and his foster father, Joseph. This is a family like no
other — consisting of the very Son of God, Mary, Queen of all Saints, and St.
Joseph, patron of the Universal Church. Yet as we see in today’s Scripture
passage, they led a life typical of the families of their day. They experienced
many of the same joys and trials that all parents and children experience even
today. And so, we can look to this Family for help in our own family lives and
see in them a model of Stewardship in family life.
The Gospel passage, from Luke, starts by telling us something about Jesus’
parents: “Each year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of the
Passover, and when he was 12 years old, they went up according to festival
custom.” In other words, this Family took seriously the Stewardship of their
Time. The “Holy Couple” carefully observed the traditions and practice of their
Jewish faith and brought up their Son to do the same. They worshiped as a
family and with their faith community. And they did so faithfully.
We can take their example to heart by making Sunday Mass attendance a priority
for our families, by making prayer with our family a priority every day, by
making sure that we regularly celebrate the sacrament of reconciliation, and by
observing in our family life the feasts and fasts appropriate to the liturgical
calendar. When we, as families, prioritize our Time with God and worship of Him
we will be imitating the Holy Family.
And when we are faced with the inevitable challenges that come with family
life, we will be far better equipped to handle them, just as the Holy Family
did. We read just a few verses later in our scripture passage, that Mary and
Joseph faced every parent’s worst nightmare — they can’t find Jesus! What
parent cannot relate to this awful moment or at least the fear of such a
moment. Perhaps a little child wanders off in the store and is physically
missing as young Jesus was. Or perhaps an older child, though physically
present, is spiritually or emotionally “missing” through addiction or loss of
faith. In these times, too, we can look to the Holy Family for guidance. Mary’s
very human initial reaction upon finding Jesus — “Son, why have you done this
to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety” —
comforts us in our own suffering as we realize that our Blessed Mother has been
through difficult times in family life, too. The Holy Couple didn’t always
understand their Divine Son. But they loved Him deeply and gave Him the best of
themselves as parents. The Divine Son, though God, obeyed His parents, giving
witness to the value of parents and family life.
On this Feast of the Holy Family, let us reclaim the beauty and importance of
family life. Let’s commit to steward our families well in 2022, making time
spent with God and practicing our faith the most important appointments on our
family calendars. Let’s make 2022 a year in our parish like never before. Happy
Feast Day, parish family!
“Rejoice in the Lord always, I shall say it again: rejoice!”