Word to the Wise
Sunday, December 29, 2013 - Sunday within the Octave of Christmas: The Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph - ABC
[Sir 3:3-7, 14-17a; Col 3:12-21 or 3:12-17; Matt 2:13-15, 19-23]Put on, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also do. And over all these put on love, that is, the bond of perfection...... [Colossians]
On retreats for priests and deacons (with spouses), when I come to the subject of "community" and relationships, I often use the passage from Colossians that forms the second scripture for this day. The first point that I make is that we are all born to a family, even if we are an only child or adopted at birth. The family is the first school of love and we begin learning about love as soon as we can get to our mother after being born! Of course, others begin to enter the picture very soon, especially the father and any siblings. When any of these important figures are missing or disabled for whatever reason, the lessons of love are disrupted. I therefore challenge retreatants to do a "history of love" in their lives because if they are going to minister to the People of God and speak of love, do they know what they're talking about? What does it mean to "put on love!"
The feast of the Holy Family is not an opportunity to idealize a home life in an idyllic village somewhere in the Middle East! The very story of the difficulties faced by Jesus' parents as recounted in today's gospel should tell us that they may have lived in fear of being "found out." Yet, we cannot discount the importance of the "school of love" in which Jesus was raised as a child. The flight in to Egypt and the later frantic search for Jesus when he was "missing" in Jerusalem, hint at the care and love of Mary and Joseph.
When I celebrate the sacrament of Baptism nowadays, I challenge the parents and godparents and all the guests to take seriously the task of teaching the child how to give and receive love. The individualism of our national culture and the loss of family life is taking a terrible toll. I saw it often in college students when I was in campus ministry. The feast of the Holy Family reminds us that the "school of love" must always be in session! AMEN