Family of God!

Feast of the Holy Family

Sunday, December 31, 2023

Sir 3:2-6,12-14; Col 3:12-21/3:12-17; Lk 2:22-40

The Feast of the Holy Family helps us live our vocation from the perspective of God. 

The title ‘Holy Family’ was not just given to the family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph because they were chosen by God to fulfill His plan. Rather, the family earned the title for what they individually and collectively accomplished to carry out God’s plans. 

Hence, a reflection on their individual roles and the collective lessons the family offers is a must. 

Joseph: Joseph was the breadwinner of the family and worked as a carpenter to provide for it. His faithful life was his gift to God. There is something insightful about St. Joseph’s silence in the Bible. Why does the head of the Holy Family go without saying anything? It may be because he said things better with his life! 

When God wanted Joseph to accept Jesus as his son, he ‘woke up’ and ‘did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him’ (Mt 1:24). In both instances – the escape to Egypt and the return to Nazareth – the angel of the Lord asks him to ‘get up’ and Joseph gets up to do what the angel commands him to do. In short, though Joseph might have had his choices and preferences, he prioritized God’s will, taking directions from His angel. That is the uniqueness of the person of Joseph.

Mary: Mary accepted the harder role of being the mother of Jesus. In her ‘yes,’ she put aside her fears and problems, only to cooperate with God’s plan. Mary witnessed the fullness of God’s salvation in Jesus, right from his birth in Bethlehem to its completion in Calvary. She was heroic in encountering the sufferings around the birth and death of Jesus.

If there is something unique about Mother Mary, it is her willingness to discern the will of God for her life. Everything that takes place in her life, especially around the birth of Jesus is quite overwhelming for an ordinary village girl. But she responds to all of them through her commitment to discern God’s will in all. With no agitation, impatience, and grumbling, Mary learned to witness the unfolding of God’s plan at every stage. In this way, Mary helped the Holy Family journey further. 

Jesus: The role of Jesus in the Holy Family is highly relevant to our life of discipleship. Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen explains the obedience of Jesus in these words. ‘[Jesus] He was a servant, and he was a subject. He was a power who became obedient, a master who became a servant, and a Lord who came not to be ministered unto but to minister. His obedience reminds the world that no man has a right to power until he has first learnt to obey, and no man has a right to wealth until he has first learned to be detached. Moreover, his life in poverty was not a condemnation of wealth, as we might often rush to conclude; nor was it a canonization of poverty as such. It was the preachment of the beautiful doctrine of detachment.’

Thus, when his parents obeyed the voice of the Lord to carry out their respective individual responsibilities, Jesus was preparing himself in obedience and poverty to sacrifice himself for others.

This ‘Holy Family’ formed by extraordinary individuals shows that all three persons were unique but united in love. As such, they help us with important lessons. 

1.Wills aligned with God: The three persons in the Holy Family had three different functions. But their wills were aligned straight with that of God. The family was devoted to fulfilling irGod’s purposes and therefore, cooperation with God’s plans occurred in a 360-degree manner. It would be no exaggeration to say that they were unconditional in their cooperation with God. 

2. Willingness to suffer for God: Every person in the Holy Family suffers immensely. However, what makes them unique in their suffering is their willingness to suffer their misfortunes for the sake of God. If not for their sacrifices, history would not have witnessed the unfolding of God’s salvation. God needed people to walk with His plans with a ‘come what may’ readiness. The Holy Family went to any extent to fulfill God’s expectations of them. 

3. Love as the abiding virtue: If the Holy Family is known for something, it is for having ‘love’ as the foundational virtue. Bricks and mortar can only make a house; only love builds it into a home. The Holy Family had every chance of being disintegrated, right from the time of its formation. For instance, Joseph’s acceptance of Mary, the finding of Jesus in the temple, and Jesus leaving for public ministry had their own difficulties. Whatever the difference, the truth is that the family was rooted in love for each other. 

The Holy Family had everything to make itself known as the ‘Family of God!’

Let us thank the Lord for the model of the Holy Family and ask for God’s grace to imitate it. 

Fr. Dhinakaran Savariyar