Word to the Wise
Sunday, December 30, 2012 - The Holy Family - C (optional; new)
[opt: 1 Sam 1:20-22, 24-28; opt: 1 John 3:1-2, 21-24; Luke 2:41-52]"Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety?" And he said to them, "Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?" But they did not understand what he said to them.
I think many parents can identify with the scene in today's gospel! It was probably reenacted many times in shopping malls this past month! "He/she is not with me! I thought he/she was with YOU!" Frantic search follows! Child is found and says, "I'm not lost. YOU are lost!" The scene does have a familiar and rueful appeal! However, one must be careful not to project modern notions of ideal family life onto the "Holy Family!" This story reinforces (remember we are reading a "mini-gospel") something Jesus would say much later about hearing the word of God and becoming his "family." It is only after this point is made that Jesus returns to Nazareth with his parents and is obedient to them. Note, too, that Mary is presented as the ideal disciple who "kept all these things in her heart."
"Family life" varies by the culture! The MIddle Eastern model that has remained fairly constant since well before Jesus' time centered on loyalties to immediate family, clan, and tribe! Understanding this could help us Westerners understand much of what is happening in the Middle East! It explains why Mary and Joseph didn't worry initially about Jesus! They assumed he was with "relatives and acquaintances." Recent terrible incidents of violence against children in our country may tend to strengthen the "nuclear" (fast vanishing) family for security purposes but probably not for emotional purposes. Our culture works against strong family bonds in favor of the isolated self-sufficient person. The celebration of the feast of the Holy Family may be an opportunity to reflect on what we are fast losing and start searching to recover it! AMEN
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