The Holy Family of Jesus
The intensity of the Christmas’ solemnity should not dwarf the significance of the Feast of the Holy Family of Nazareth. And the reason is not an exaggeration but a simple reality check: our future as a Church and as a Nation hangs in the balance.
The number of religious institutions that cling to this somber realization is dwindling. It consists of conservative Christian groups and the Catholic Church. That’s about it!
For decades, we realized that there were covert efforts to undermine the traditional family unit and replace it with new “progressive,” “enlightened” units. Up to a few months ago, the proponents of godless ideologies were so emboldened by their liberal achievements that they did not go through the trouble of trying to hide their intentions.
The basic tenets forced upon the gullible and those with the itch for novelty were the irrelevance of God, the alleged harm done to people by any major religion, and the absence of absolutes and fixed values. In that secular and woke way of thinking, the ideal, utopian, cost-free societal setting would be achievable, basically, by adhering sheepishly, no questions asked, to the suggestions of liberal pundits who guarantee no additional personal cost.
Well, at the risk of sounding irreparably old-fashioned, the Catholic Church insists, instead, on offering these three readings (Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14; Colossians 3:12-21; Luke 2:41-52) that speak of joy and fulfillment only through self-control, the experience of the cross and a high, personal cost, which seems to be always the requested price tag.
We can certainly begin to understand how St. Joseph and the Blessed Mother must have felt when they realized that Jesus was missing, not for a couple of hours but for three days!
“Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.” Luke 2:48
What the Church tries to convey to us with this incident in the life of the Family of Nazareth is that, far from being irrelevant, God is not in any way distant from the worst experiences that can happen in family life.
God’s own family was not spared the experience of anxiety, anguish, poverty, losses, pain, even life as expatriates in Egypt.
God’s own family was not even spared more serious trials such as having to live with the lingering thought that, shockingly, in the best possible setting, with the most sincere and abiding commitment to dedication, sharing, cooperation, and inspiring love certain aspects of life can remain stubbornly wrapped in thick darkness.
But they did not understand what he said to them. Luke 2:50
This simple realization makes the Holy Family of Nazareth much more relevant and inspiring to us all.
Today, we are expected to take home with us some crucial points for our consideration. We can do it with renewed hope because common sense is returning to the forefront of people who had been shamed, “cancelled”and threatened for too long.
First, that, as we can clearly read from nature itself, God has instituted the traditional family as the proper setting for each human being to be born, to grow and to be formed in. The father’s contribution to the wellbeing and productive life of a family is different from what is a mother’s contribution. After long years of intimidation, we must feel free to state that each one ought to contribute to the wellbeing of the traditional family according to his/her nature. That is why it is so hard for single mothers or single fathers to play both roles by themselves.
Secondly, parents must feel called to place God and not the government at the very center of their family for each human being to be properly welcomed into this world, adequately nurtured and correctly formed.
Thirdly, everyone according to his/her competence and role must exercise those virtues that St. Paul recommends.
Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience,bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do.And over all these put on love, that is, the bond of perfection. Colossians 3:12-14
Any other type of family is not and must not be placed at the same level as the traditional, natural type.
I firmly believe that the Lord expects each one of us to be willing to make sizable and constant sacrifices for the wellbeing of our family, with the persistent, painful thought that some areas of our family life will remain shrouded in mystery. The Lord requires also an unwavering commitment to fight tooth and nail against anyone and any trend that undermine the sanctity of the traditional family unit; and, relying constantly on the Holy Spirit, to do absolutely all we can to make our family, as much as possible, like the Holy Family of Nazareth.
