Word to the Wise
Sunday, December 27, 2015 - 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. [Luke]
The feast of the Holy Family is an occasion to reflect on the importance of the family but we have to be cautious about imposing on the Holy Family our notions of the ideal family. The extended and collective family-clan-tribal structure of Middle Eastern family relationships is very different from the Anglo-Saxon "nuclear" family that emphasizes individualism. The agenda of the evangelist Luke aims at using a story from Jesus' origins to emphasize the relationship between Jesus and the temple, and not about parent-child relationships. Nevertheless there are a couple of universal truths we can note.
First, we are all born to a family, even if it may be a family torn by division or one where the parents are not married or the baby is immediately removed for adoption. It is clear that Mary and Joseph showed parents' care. If we add the possibility of their knowledge of Jesus' full identity, the anxiety would certainly be considerable!
Second, the family is the first school of love. On retreats, I ask retreatants to do a history of love in their lives, beginning with their family of origin. Our family relationships can tell us a lot about ourselves.
On this feast of the Holy Family we can pray for those who gave birth to us and nurtured us along the way and continue to support us even, and especially, in old age. If we in the USA can counteract the corrosive effects of the consumer society on family life, we will do our faith and our country a great favor. AMEN
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