Today, I would like to reiterate the teaching of the Church based on the scriptures about Christian family. Vatican Council II reflects that Christian family is “the domestic church.” We need to reflect on this to understand the intention of our Lord calling His disciples a new kind of family and can be understood as a community. He was not formalizing family but as history teaches that the community He formed grew so rapidly in its early years because His followers live like a family who took care of one another, something that attracted in the Roman Empire, both gentiles, or pagans and Jews. Jesus’s years of witnessing accepting everyone as brothers and sisters, beyond blood relationship but by sharing the common faith, is the seed of this new relationship of being a new kind of family or the Church.
Today’s epistle from St. Paul’s letter to the Colossians reminds us of that genuine faith in God, and true Christian holiness are seen in the acts of kindness, humility, patience and heartfelt compassion. St. Paul goes on saying, “let the peace of Christ control your hearts, the peace into which you were also called in one body.”
The gospel taken from St. Luke narrates about the Holy Family fulfilling their annual obligation according to the Jewish religious tradition. Like other pious Jewish family, Mary, Joseph and Jesus make their way to the Temple in Jerusalem. St. Luke’s purpose of writing this episode is to link the Jerusalem pilgrimage to Jesus’ public ministry. Today, we are invited to reflect on this gospel passage:
First, while on their way back to Nazareth, Mary and Joseph begun to wonder why Jesus was not with them. They decided to launch a search for their child until Mary and Joseph travelled back to Jerusalem. Jesus was found at the temple where He was conversing with the experts of the law. It was difficult for Mary and Joseph with the loss of their loving child, but they resigned to Jesus’ destiny. This is an event when Jesus expressed clarity of His intention to focus on His Father’s will and the “Father’s business” by preaching about the Truth the rest of His public ministry.
Second, Jesus’ own experience of family with Mary, Joseph and their extended family may have inspired His early days that His mission is over and above the interest of His earthly family which had been built upon the Law of God. Mary and Joseph are shown as having great reverence for God’s laws by being faithful to Jewish religious practices for the fulfillment of God’s promise of fruitful blessings.
Third, Jesus was not disrespectful and insensitive to His parents’ intention to look for Him. However, Jesus seriously explaining to them, “I must be in my Father’s house.” The couple and their child return home and by their living according to God’s law, the child grew strong, full of wisdom and was obedient to them. So, we have a picture of a Holy Family. They received blessings and guidance from God, they returned filled with gratitude; they were faithful to their lives.
What makes a family a “holy family?” Let us follow the example of Mary, Joseph and Jesus by our total dependence on God who called us as His family of disciples, devoted to God’s law or commandment, prayer, generosity of heart and loving God that makes our family acts as one in order to provide each member a space for growth and maturity.
Celebrating the feast of the Holy Family, we must be grateful to our own human family. We cherish our delightful moments and experiences with all the members of our family, though there are some unsavory feelings, hurts and inevitable issues or conflict we have been through, please remember Jesus embraced our full human nature, graced, but also fallen and weak. According to the letter to the Hebrews 2:11, “He who consecrates and those who have been consecrated all have one origin, Therefore, Jesus is not ashamed to call them “brothers and sisters.” We are all brothers and sisters in the Lord, if we are faithful to do His will. Let our shared faith, life’s journey be the reason to rejoice today coupled with love and forgiveness by God’s grace and mercy!
God bless you.
Fr. Arlon, osa
