Word to the Wise
Friday, December 30, 2022 - THE HOLY FAMILY OF JESUS, MARY AND JOSEPH
[Sirach 3:2-6 and Matthew 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 one another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do. And over all these put on love, that is, the bond of perfection. [Colossians]
The feast of the Holy Family is an opportunity to reflect on our own families and the challenges posed by the words from the Letter to the Colossians. What biblical and archaeological research tells us about family life in first century Palestine - in the time of Jesus - would scarcely resemble the socio-cultural situation of family life in 21st century U.S.A. or any place outside the MIddle East.
My experience in preaching retreats and parish missions across our country as well as what university students reveal to me about their own families suggests that the biggest challenge is forgiveness. I have spoken here before about the examination of conscience that I use at Reconciliation Services that focuses on forgiveness instead of a checklist of individual transgressions. At one parish mission, the morning after the Reconciliation Service, a gentleman past middle age approached me and thanked me for that examination of conscience because "I was finally able to forgive my mother!" Is there someone in our own families that we need to forgive or from whom we need to ask forgiveness? One of the petitions in the examination of conscience I use asks Jesus for "the grace to forgive that one person who has hurt me the most, that one person I swore I would never forgive." More often than not, that person is a member of our families.
The beauty and importance of healthy family life requires daily effort. I hear about the challenges and pray for those who share their stories with me. I recall, and am grateful for, the family I belong to. Our families are our closest neighbors and the first teachers of love. The toughest chapters to learn are those that teach us to forgive. The child Jesus in the Holy Family would grow up to preach the Sermon on the Mount. AMEN