Fr Jack SJ MD: Homily for the Feast of the Holy Family

Sir 3:2-6, 12-14

Ps 128

Col 3:12-17

Mt 2:13-15

We must never forget that Jesus was born into a family. While His "nuclear" family was small the concept of family was different in the Ancient Near East compared with today. He was part of a large extended family. Thus we are not certain what references to brothers, sisters, and cousins mean.

Jesus was born into a specific geographic place, a specific era of history, and a particular social setting. That world was governed by the religious traditions and laws of Israel. His parents were observant of those laws and religious customs. The late Jesuit theologian Karl Rahner made an important observation about Jesus being born into, and coming of age within, a family: He wrote: Jesus: “came into the world the same way we did in order to come to terms with the given facts of human existence, and to begin to die” This fact can supply meditation material for hours if not a few days. What does it mean to come to terms with the facts of human existence?

Part of the answer is found in obedience. Obedience and its root word 'to obey' run through the readings and psalm like a sparkling thread in an ancient tapestry, a thread that is impossible to miss though many would prefer to ignore it.

We heard in Sirach, "God sets a father in honor over his children; a mother's authority he confirms over her sons. Whoever honors his father atones for sins . . . . he stores up riches who reveres his mother."

Confucius wrote the following some 300 years before Sirach: “Honoring parents is the beginning of all humanness and the basis for relationships with others. It is an inward attitude and outward action, not just empty gestures, involving supporting parents and ancestors. Serve parents at home earnestly, be truthful, and overflow with love for all, prioritize family duties before personal pursuits.”

When used in scripture the image of 'fear of the Lord' indicates obedience not the gut-churning, sweaty-palms, and trembling knees most of us assume when we hear the word fear; the kind of fear when driving on the Pike through the Berkshires in fog and snow.

Oddly enough, there are two second reading options from the third chapter of Colossians: verses 12 to 21, or verses 12 ending at 17,editing out the verses on obedience, love, and subordination. Each verse presents a difficult and necessary task to the subject to whom the verse is addressed.

"Wives, be subordinate to your husbands." No comment necessary on the 21^st century reaction to THAT statement. Yet, lack of subordination, cooperation, or consistency particularly when raising children is a prime mover in appalling divorce statistics and the difficulties for the children of warring parents.

"Husbands love your wives." It is possible that this demand is even more difficult than the previous one. Truly loving someone requires subordination of one's wants, needs, desires, and dreams. An emptying of self is required for the mutuality necessary for the two to become one.

"Children obey your parents in everything.” Not a particularly popular idea today. But there is a corollary to the demand for children to obey their parents. This one receives no air-time. "Fathers do not provoke your children so they may not become discouraged." Another admonition to love, in this case to love and respect one's children, even though it may be difficult at times.

We know almost nothing of Jesus' youth or family life. It seems reasonable to assume that Joseph died before Jesus began his public ministry. How old was Jesus when Joseph died? How did that death affect him?

St. Ignatius included a meditation in the Spiritual Exercises on what he called the Hidden Life of Jesus, those years about which we know nothing. It is a very rich source for meditation.

We know next to nothing about the daily life of the Holy Family. We know they observed the laws of Israel. More importantly we have their lived example of obedience to God's will. Not one word is attributed to Joseph in scripture. We only hear Joseph's eloquence through his actions of taking Mary into his home, taking his family into exile at the command of the angel, and his yes when he returned them to Nazareth. We have the example of Mary’s yes, at the Annunciation. We have the example of Jesus' obedience. at the end of Luke's narrative of Jesus in the Temple: “He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them” Finally we have the example of Jesus’ yes in the Garden of Gethsemane when he prayed, “not my will, but thine, be done.”

As we commemorate the Holy Family we contemplate how they responded yes to the will of God. We pray that we will always respond as they did with, “Thy will be done.”

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The photos are from Lithuania, St. Casimir Church in Vilnius, Vilnius, and the retreat house in Guronys where I spent the weekends giving talks. It was as cold as it looks. The temps never went as high as 20 F. Thus all of my shooting was indoors, oftentimes looking out.