Gratitude for the Family

Today in the Catholic Church we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family - Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.  Jesus was born into a human family so that He can experience life as we do, and be like us in all things but sin.  God in His infinite wisdom planned for Jesus to be born into a poor family and in a lowliest of manners - among the animals, laid in a manger - the feeding place for animals.  Not too long after Jesus was born, Joseph, His foster father, was told in a dream, "Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you." And so, he did.

The life of the Child was already sought the moment He was born (before, really).  Perhaps, this does make sense - Jesus, after all, was born to die, and by that death, to save, to redeem, and to live.  I can only imagine how Joseph and Mary was feeling.  Their son's life was sought after and the King wanted Him dead.  "Herod is going to search for the child and destroy him."  Already with no money and rejected by the townsfolk, now they had to leave in haste and flee to Egypt, a place of slavery and bondage.  This was the life of the Holy Family.  

The Holy Family was not preserved from trials or persecutions.  They did not have any special privilege or dispensation.  The Son of God was "born of a woman, born under the law, to ransom those under the law, so that we might receive adoption" (Gal. 4:4-5).  Jesus came as a man to save us - men and women - from sin and death and to give us new life in Him.  This most amazing and special person - the Son of God - was not exempt from the trials of life. The Holy Family knew well the struggles and problems of family life, and they know want us to see that and be encouraged by that.  All families are called to holiness, but that does not mean a life without trials and struggles. It also does not mean a life without worries and anxieties.  It does mean they are called to trust in the Father's love and compassion for them.  Holiness does not mean perfection or perfectionism, rather it means trust, love, and humility.  The Holy Family was a family composed of humble individuals who loved one another and loved God and trusted in His plan for them. They trusted in God and they made it safely to Egypt.  They also made it safely back to Nazareth.  

That is what we ought to strive towards - to be like the Holy Family.  They were human beings who faced challenges and struggles, lived in poverty, rejected by their own people, but who also loved one another, worked with one another, spoke with one another, persevered in difficulties together, stayed with one another, prayed and worshiped as family, trusted in God, and allowed love above all things to rule, guide, and direct their lives.  

Let us turn to our families and be grateful for them because it is our families are the greatest gifts God gifted to us. The first and greatest gift God gave to Jesus was life, but life within the context of a family.  Life only makes sense in the context of relationship.  Let us thank our families for loving us, putting up with us, teaching us, and staying by our side even during the times when we left them or rejected them.  Let us thank God for the gift of our families, no matter how imperfect, because it is our families that teach us the greatest lessons of life while praying for all families, especially for families torn apart by arguments, grudges, and misunderstandings, for families separated by war or political unrest, and for families broken up by selfishness and misguided pride.   

Let us look to the Holy Family and ask for their intercession, so that we too may live in love, peace, and joy in the midst of our struggles and challenges in this life so that we may be truly free and joyful in the next.

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, Pray for us!

The Flight into Egypt by Adam Elsheimer

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