Rev. Fr. (Dr.) Osmond Anike

Readings:

First Reading: Ecclesiasticus 3:2-6, 12-14 – He who fears the Lord respects his parents.

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 127(128):1-5 – O blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways!

Second Reading: Colossians 3:12-21 – Family life in the Lord.

Gospel: Luke 2:22-40 – My eyes have seen your salvation.

The feast of the Holy Family celebrates the family unit of Jesus: Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Devotion to the Holy Family is a recent development, but it is one that naturally grew out of a love for Jesus and his family. Although the devotion grew in popularity in the 17^th Century, it was only on October 26, 1921 that the Congregation of Rites (under Pope Benedict XV) inserted the Feast of the Holy Family into the Latin Rite general calendar, thus making it a universal feast (as against the Regional feast that it was prior to this date). The Feast of the Holy Family is not just about the Holy Family; it is equally about our own families too. The feast is established so that the Holy Family will act as a model for all Christian families and for all domestic life in general. The way to sanctify our family is to live the life of the church within our homes. Families are described as “domestic” or “miniature” church. When we make our home a “family church”, we sanctify the family unit. The way to make our home a family church is by making Christ the centre of our family and individual lives. We do this by praying together, reading the scripture together, going to mass together, etc. as a family. One of the “rays of sunshine” that the covid-19 lockdown provided was the bonding of families together. When families are compelled to stay together because they have no choice but to do so, they begin to learn how to bond together. But we do not need a virus as deadly as covid-19 to compel us to make our homes a domestic church.

Reflecting on the readings of today, in the first reading from the book of Ecclesiasticus or the book of Sirach, we learn that filial duty towards parents is a basic religious duty. Jesus performed that duty throughout his life from infancy to adulthood. And the second reading from Paul’s letter to the Colossians exhorts each member of the family structure to play his/her proper role in the family. This will create a healthy family which in turn will translate to a healthy society.

Perhaps the best way to underscore the roles each member of the family structure should play is to highlight some of the qualities of Joseph, Mary and Jesus as they affect us as father, mother and children respectively.

Joseph: He was a man of integrity and understanding. He knew that whatever affected his wife indirectly affected him. In order therefore to protect both the integrity of his wife as well his own integrity, he decided to go against the mosaic prescription of public humiliation and was set to divorce his wife informally before the angel of the Lord intervened in his dream. He listened to the voice of reason even when it sounded unreasonable (cf., the explanation of the angel that his wife conceived through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Again, Joseph was a very powerful protector of his family. He risked the arduous journey to Egypt at night just to protect his child and his wife. But above all, he was also a hardworking man, always in his workshop to make both ends meet. He even spared his time to teach his child the basic art of his trade. But he didn’t force his child to take as profession his own carpentry profession. He rather allowed his child to gradually tilt towards his own destiny.

Mary: The first quality that strikes one about Mary is that of contemplation. When the angel greeted her with the queenly title of “Hail”, she contemplated what that might be. Again, when the shepherds narrated what the angel told them, we are told that everybody was astonished. But as for Mary, she treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart. Another quality we observe about Mary is that she is very gentle and soft-spoken. When she and her husband searched for the infant Jesus for three days and finally found him in the temple, she calmly addressed Jesus thus: “My son, why have you done this to us…” She did not jump on him to shout at and scold him and give him all those negative suggestions that parents sometimes give in the name of “correcting” their children.

One cannot also but notice that Mary was very observant and caring. She could discover that the wedding hosts were running short of wine and had to intervene to save them from embarrassment. She is also a great intercessor; and she hardly fails to obtain favours from his son. She used this quality to persuade his son (without saying much) to begin his public ministry even when his time was not yet up. In this regard also, Mary is a person of few words. The only recorded “preaching” she did was on this occasion when she told the stewards of the wedding couple concerning Jesus: “Whatever he tells you to do, do it”. But this statement is the summary of every preaching that was and will ever be. The last but most outstanding quality of Mary that we are considering today is the fact that she accepts the will of God in her life: “Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done to me according to thy will”.

Jesus: The first quality we consider is that of obedience: “My food is to obey the will of my father”. It was also in obedience to his parents that he left the temple and followed them back to Nazareth. We also think of his humility: “Though he was in the form of God, Jesus did not count equality with God. He humbled himself even unto death”. We can also think of the fact that despite sometimes conflicting responsibilities between his mission and his family, Jesus was proud of his family. He followed Joseph to the latter’s workshop and helped him. He also ensured that he entrusted his mother under the care of a trusted disciple before he died on the cross. But he was not self-centred or discriminatory. He did not allow his family to monopolize him and thereby denying others the opportunity to listen to his preaching.

These are some of the qualities that are observed the in Holy Family. If only our families should try to emulate the qualities of Joseph, Mary and Jesus as they affect us as fathers, mothers and children, respectively, our homes would become family churches or domestic churches. It is important that each component of the family should contribute towards making that family church. The work needed to make families an ideal one in the image of the Holy Family should be achieved when each member contributes towards the general wellbeing of family unit. May we continue to look upon the Holy Family as our model so that the society will be a healthy society!