12/31 - Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph

Happy New Year! We begin the New Year with the focus on the Family as we celebrate the feast of the Holy Family of Nazareth. This Feast gives us a new perspective on family and what it means to be a family. Rather than the traditional images of a circle, a warm fireplace, and an emotional cauldron, the focus here is on the concept of voyage, which places an emphasis on motion and implies vitality. In the liturgical texts, the Holy Family is shown not as a harmonious icon or a joyful little group, but as a paradigm of how a community might flourish.

The modern spiritual literature and conferences, unfortunately, ignore the reality that the family is the first and, maybe, most important vehicle for the spiritual journey. Each member of the family is a symbol of a different kind of journey—one that has already been on and one that has yet to be, a complementary web of paths from which further paths can emerge. Depending on the circumstances, a parent's second voyage may overlap with their child's least traveled path.

If you want to raise a child right, Abraham Lincoln said, "You have to walk the walk yourself." Do not send your children to school with the expectation that they will become someone; instead, strive to become that person. If you ever question your capacity to serve as a primary educator for your loved ones, remind yourself that "an ounce of mother is worth a pound of clergy." Keep in mind that same Spanish adage's Native Indian counterpart: You get more out of one guru than from ten professional educators. A father and mother are more valuable than a hundred gurus. In a society where parents have abdicated their rightful roles as educators, brokenness in children becomes rampant and then incompetent civil legislators step in to spin the process to a downward spiral of chaos. So what’s happening in our streets and the mayhem looting of shops are symptomatic of brokenness in family formation. Not spending enough time together as a family is, in my opinion, one of the biggest problems nowadays. One method to demonstrate our affection for our family is to spend quality time with them. Spending time with loved ones is something we would give our lives for, especially when we know that neglecting them causes them pain and loss of affection.

As we look at the Holy Family today, we are also invited to enter into the humility of their life in Nazareth. By setting a positive example, our families can grow into communities characterized by love and reconciliation, where members are kinder to one another and forgive each other when they make mistakes. The three most important words for a happy and peaceful family life are "may I," "thank you," and "sorry." Let us keep these in mind. There is harmony and happiness in our family when everyone politely asks "may I?", when no one is overly concerned with his or her own needs and learns to express gratitude, and when everyone acknowledges when they've messed up and knows how to apologize.

For a moment let us in imagination time travel to the Temple in Jerusalem and picture this small family from Nazareth in the huge courtyards of the temple, surrounded by throngs of worshippers. You can't tell them apart; they blend in. Still, people take note of them! The Holy Spirit inspires two old people, Simeon and Anna, to come near to this family from Nazareth and give thanks to God for the Child who would save Israel, bring light to the nations, and be their Messiah (Lk 2:22-38). Meeting of two young spouses who are joyful and faithful because of the Lord's grace and two elderly people who are joyful and faithful because of the Spirit's action is a moment cast vividly into the rock face of history of the world as full of prophesy. The little child they all behold is the mighty God of heaven and earth. May our families gather around to marvel at God’s wonderful grace every day of this New Year. Gathering around the dinner table, gathering around celebrating life or a milestone moment in a member’s life, and gathering together in worship at the Eucharist, give fillip to the wonderful idea of God, our creator to make the family the ‘space of wonder.’