Word to the Wise
Sunday, December 30, 2018 - 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]SUNDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2018 THE HOLY FAMILY [1 Samuel 1:20-22, 24-28; 1 John 3:1-2, 21-24; Luke 2:41-52] “Son, why have you done this to us?” Mary’s question to Jesus after a frantic search has been echoed by exasperated and relieved parents millions of times, I suspect. Sometimes the context is not a lost child, but a child whose decisions have left the parents asking, Where did we go wrong?” And Jesus’ response seems to echo the one many children have given, “I’m not lost. You are lost!” Since the family had been in Jerusalem for the Passover, a 12 year old boy could be forgiven if he had been awed by the temple (recently restored by Herod) and wanted to explore it more (without parental interference, no doubt). One of the teachers may have found him wandering and asked, “Whose pupil are you?” This story is not in the Gospel According to Luke by accident or just for additional color to an already profound story of Jesus’ birth. It demonstrates first of all that Jesus belonged to a pious Jewish family that was part of a larger clan. It would not be unusual for the children to be spread out amongst all the other kinsmen. The temple would eventually give way to Jesus’ teaching. The Romans would physically destroy it about sixty years later (70 A.D.). Third, Jesus is shown as a teacher. “All who heard him were astounded at his understanding and his answers.” The feast of the Holy Family may celebrate the importance of family life but our American culture finds it difficult to sustain the kind of collective responsibility that Middle Eastern families have. Individualism is the hallmark of American life. It takes effort to maintain a kind of family unity of the sort that TV programs once showed. I experience this when preaching parish missions and hear grandparents and parents lament that their children and grandchildren live all over the country and communication and visiting become an ordeal, despite such things as SKYPE. Mary’s question is alive today, along with Jesus’ response. Both give us something to think about today. AMEN
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