(See the readings for the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph)
The commercial came on the television. It showed short video clips of a man and woman falling in love, getting married, having a baby, then clips of the family as the child, grew, graduated, fell in love and got married. I’m not sure how effective the commercial was because I cannot remember what it was advertising, but it captured some of the beauty of family life.
Of course it did not capture other moments such as when sickness comes into play or the struggles of adolescent years. This may cause some to say that it sentimentalizes the subject, which may be true. But it does reflect a certain aspect of family life and love — that of being present throughout life, loving through the years in all the varied ways that love takes shape and form.
This Sunday we celebrate the Holy Family. My mother used to love this feast day. It was important to her and she did all she could to live out its meaning in our family life. It is one of those occasions for me to be reminded of the practical impact faith has in the life of the faithful. In early Church tradition, the family was called the “domestic Church.” The “Church” is the union of the faithful with God and each other established in, through and by Christ Jesus. It is a communion of love. In a concentrated way, this communion is reflected in family life.
Families are not chosen by us; God has provided them for us. The relationships within a family are wide and varied. The nuclear family of husband and wife have a relationship, which expands when they become father and mother. Their children have relationships with their parents and with their siblings. They too become spouses and parents one day, and their parents become grandparents. Moving further afield we have aunts, uncles and cousins. All are part of an extended communion designed for love.
Granted, no family is perfect but the family and the individuals who are part of it are called to be perfected in love. The bonds that are created in a healthy family are strong. The members sense, from their earliest years, the strength that comes from a loving home. The example of love through the joys and sorrows, the triumphs and tragedies, of life can propel the next generation to be instruments of that love.
Sadly, not everyone has this experience as it is challenging to have a strong family life today. Yet we rejoice and are uplifted when a family strives to be what it is called to be. The Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph offers us that call this Sunday.
The Gospel recalls the flight to Egypt to escape the terror of Herod. This is no sentimentalized account. The threat was real. Herod was notorious for his cruelty, even to his own family. Joseph takes his wife and son into a foreign land — a Gentile nation — looking for safe haven which they receive. He protects his family. He provides shelter for them. There Mary provides a loving home for the family as the child begins to grow.
The parents are faith filled as we have seen in the annunciations and birth accounts. Their family life was strengthened and built on their faith in God and His covenant with Israel. This was the environment in which the Son of God would be raised as a son to Mary and step-son to Joseph.
The Son’s love is expressed by his very being, for “God is love” (1 John 4:8). As Jesus grows, that love will be ultimately expressed when He lays down his life not only for His immediate family but for the family of mankind.
The first reading comes from the Book of Sirach. It expresses the practical wisdom in having a strong family. The bonds formed there in love are bonds that are not broken with age, sorrow or even death. Building those bonds of love are done through respect, honor, care, comfort, reverence, kindness and consideration.
The second reading is from St. Paul’s Letter to the Colossians. In it he gives some practical and needed advice for living the communion of the Church. This could readily apply to life in the “domestic Church.”
“Put on,” he writes, “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 must you also do. And over all these put on love, that is, the bond of perfection.” To these he adds, “let the peace of Christ control your hearts,” “be thankful,” “let the word of Christ dwell in you richly,” and “do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus.” Both readings provide us with ways to strengthen our families.
You may remember the children’s show “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” which aired for 32 years on PBS. Fred Rogers was noted for his kindness and ability to engage others. In 1997, he received an honorary Emmy award for lifetime achievement. In his acceptance speech he moved many in the audience to tears with his expression of gratitude to the people who “loved me into being.”
The expression wonderfully captures not only our parents’ role but of every member of the family for each shares the gift of life when they share the gift of love. Perhaps Rogers’ words would be helpful on this Feast of the Holy Family:
“So many people have helped me to come to this night. Some of you are here. Some are far away. Some are even in heaven. All of us have special ones who have loved us into being. Would you just take, along with me, ten seconds to think of the people who have helped you become who you are? Those who have cared about you and wanted what was best for you in life. Ten seconds of silence. I’ll watch the time. [Pause] Whomever you’ve been thinking about, how pleased they must be to know the difference you feel they’ve made.”
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Msgr. Joseph Prior is pastor of Our Lady of Grace Parish in Penndel and a former professor of Sacred Scripture and rector of St. Charles Borromeo Seminary. Read more reflections by Msgr. Prior here.
The post Relationships Strengthen Families, Such as Holy Family, and Church appeared first on CatholicPhilly.
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