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December 22, 2021Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph--
Readings: Sir 3:2-6, 12-14; Ps 128:1-2, 3, 4-5; Col 3:12-21 or 3:12-17 or 1 Jn 3:1-2, 21-24; Lk 2:41-52
A constant challenge in 21st century life is time management. For parents, I know it is hard enough to manage your own lives and schedules, then when a child enters the picture, it must seem so overwhelming. I imagine it is easy to feel like all you can do is keep your head above water as best you can. Throw on top of that a global pandemic, the often frightening and potentially dangerous world of social media, and a world that feels generally less safe. It is not an easy time to be a parent, and surely not an easy time to be a child.
Today we celebrate the Holy Family. While most of our images of this family portray them with peaceful, even stoic expressions framed by glowing halos, the truth is that their lives must have had their share of challenges. Did Mary face questions about her pregnancy? Did Joseph get lectures from his relatives: “You should have divorced her!” Joseph was a carpenter, a profession considered very low status in his time. They lived in a nondescript hamlet, and were under Roman rule...Rome would often crucify its subjects to remind people who was in charge. Political and religious factions in Palestine were advocating their own ideologies and agendas, some violently. Not to mention illness and injury combined with lack of medical knowledge made life extremely fragile, especially for children. This does not paint the picture of a serene Holy Land where raising Jesus would have been peaceful and safe. All this to say, when it comes to the challenges for families today, you are not alone.
So, how were Mary and Joseph able to raise Jesus in such a way that he developed a strong relationship with God and a clear sense of his identity? Well, today’s Gospel gives us an important piece of evidence that we can carry with us to our own families. We hear in the opening that “Each year, Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover.” Celebrating the Passover was (and is) key to identity in the Jewish faith. It commemorates God’s intercession to free the Israelites from captivity and oppression in Egypt.
Passover is, in a sense, a family story. A family story gives meaning and identity to the family. In celebrating the Passover in Jerusalem, Joseph and Mary were sharing the central part of the Israelite family story. They affirmed their connection to the God of the Exodus: the God who frees from captivity, creates a covenant, and takes them as His People. As a child, these celebrations and family stories were no doubt a foundation that surely were the bedrock of his “[advancing] in wisdom and age and favor before God and man.”
- What family stories give your family identity? Have you shared them with your children, nieces, nephews?
- How does your faith fit into your family story? How do you celebrate the place of faith in your family like Mary and Joseph did in celebrating the Passover? What can you do to connect faith more deeply to your family’s identity? Discuss this together.
- What challenges make it difficult for your family to thrive? Bring them before God.
