ONE OF THE most beautiful Christmas cards I have seen is a play on the typical picture of the Holy Family.
In this particular scene, Mary is asleep on a cot made of hay and Joseph is walking while cradling the Infant in his arms. It is a tender scene of the healthy love of a father for his son which, I must admit, makes me very jealous. I have often said that if I have any regrets about my vocation, the regret would be that I will never have a son. So, I find the image of Joseph holding his newborn baby boy quite touching.
Not All Peaceful
When I mention this to friends with children, they are usually quick to remind me that raising a child is not all peaceful, poignant moments. There are also scraped knees, undone chores, sitting in the corner after being naughty and then comes adolescence and the teen years.
So, the events described in the Gospel are real. Mary and Joseph arrive home from celebrating Passover in Jerusalem, as was their custom, only to realize that Jesus was not with the caravan. In those days the villagers would have traveled together so it was not negligent of them to presume He was with the other youngsters.
Returning to Jerusalem they find Him in the Temple surrounded by the elders. As His parents are astonished that He did not accompany them, the elders are astounded at His teaching.
When Mary challenges Him with a mother’s question: “Why have you done this to us?”
His response is: “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know I must be in my Father’s house?” This causes more confusion than it settles. Mary and Joseph were certainly aware that He was not an ordinary child but this beginning of His self-revelation reminds them that they are no ordinary family.
Roles of Mary, Joseph
From the moment of the Annunciation to Mary and the visit of an angel to Joseph telling him to take Mary as his wife, it was clear the Child was sent with a special mission.
The Nativity, the flight into Egypt, the Presentation and Simeon’s prophecy all point not only to the unique role of Christ in salvation history, but also to the unique role of Mary and Joseph as His guardians. They were to form not only a family, but The Holy Family – the family that stands as the model for all other families.
If we look up the definition of “family,” the responses range from “parents and child(ren) together” to “people living under the same roof” to “a common genus of plants.”
However, when I then researched a definition of “holy,” the first and most frequently repeated answer was “belonging to the sacred.”
Faith on a Deeper Level
Just as Jesus belonged with Mary and Joseph, they belonged with Him. His reference to His Father’s house invites them to see their own faith response to God on a deeper level. In accepting God’s plan in their lives by accepting Jesus into their home, their home was changed. Although they would face the same challenges and experience the same blessings as everyone else, their understanding of their experiences would be different. All was going to be seen as part the unfolding of God’s plan.
Each generation has brought its own challenges to families. My grandparents raised their children as they fought for acceptance as immigrants in a neighborhood already suffering from poverty and overcrowding. My parents struggled through World War II and then raised four children during the 1950s and ’60s, which were exciting but turbulent times for young people. Families today face the instability of the economy and the threats of terrorism.
With God’s Help
Servant of God Father Patrick Peyton, C.S.C., known as The Rosary Priest, is credited with having coined the phrase, “The family that prays together, stays together.”
Modeling our families after the Holy Family means keeping Christ at the center and seeing each of our roles in the family as connected to His will.
No era has been without its challenges but no family is without God’s help if, like Mary and Joseph, we are willing to search for Him in His Father’s house and listen even if we do not understand.
Readings for the Feast of The Holy Family
Sirach 3: 2-6, 12-14 or
1 Samuel 1: 20-22, 24-28
Psalm 128: 1-2, 3, 4-5 or
Psalm 84: 2-3, 5-6, 9-10
Colossians 3: 12-21 or Colossians 3: 12-17
or 1 John 3: 1-2, 21-24
Luke 2: 41-52
Msgr. Joseph P. Calise is the pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel parish, Williamsburg.