Feast of the Holy Family – Year C
1st reading: 1 Sam. 1: 20-22, 24-28
2nd reading: I John 3: 1-2, 21-24
Gospel: Luke 5: 2: 41-52
Today, celebrating the Feast of the Holy Family, we make a jump, so to speak, from the time of the birth of Jesus, to a time when He is 12 years old Joseph and Mary take Jesus up to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover. Just before the Gospel text begins, St Luke tells us that the “Child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom …”. Then at the end of our text we are told that “Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature, and in favour with God and man”. Although the Christ Child is truly God, the Son of God, He is also truly man, fully human and fully Divine without a mixture of the two natures. This is a mystery, the mystery of the Incarnation, what we are celebrating at Christmas.
Just as Jesus grew in wisdom, all the more did Mary and Joseph, who are fully human with no Divine nature, grow in their wisdom and understanding. Mary being immaculately conceived does not do away with her need for such growth. She is at times bewildered, astonished, amazed at the behaviour of her Son, as both she and Joseph are today. She was greatly troubled at the greeting of the Angel Gabriel: “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!” This is a perfectly human reaction in such circumstances and not a sign of a lack of faith.
After the feast of the Passover, travelling home again, the Child Jesus remains behind in Jerusalem. When Joseph and Mary notice his absence they return to Jerusalem to search for Him. As would any parent be at losing their child, they were naturally very anxious in their search. The thought that He might have intentionally stayed behind probably did not enter into their considerations at all. Why would He possibly do that? They eventually find Him in the Temple listening to the Teachers and asking them questions. And while the Teachers are amazed at His understanding, Mary and Joseph are astonished – quite literally ready to ‘jump out of themselves’ with astonishment. Why would He do such a thing to them? Surely very grateful and relieved that He is safe, but they do not understand this at all. They must continue to grow in their understanding, which strengthens their faith.
This is the second episode where St Luke tells us that Mary “kept all these things in her heart”. The first occurred at the meeting of the shepherds when Jesus was born. St Simeon prophecies that “a sword will pierce through your own soul also.” In these and presumably in many other episodes not recorded by the Gospel writers, Mary is being prepared for the great trial of her life, to stand by the Cross of her crucified Son, without wavering. Such was the greatness of her faith at that point that she did this, uniting her pains of sorrow with those of Jesus. But throughout her life with Jesus, she had to be prepared for this moment, through a growth in faith and in understanding. She will do this through a life of intense prayer and living in hope. We notice her trustful acceptance of the will of God at Gabriel’s message. We notice her full confidence in her Son at the wedding at Cana when they ran out of wine: “Do whatever He tells you”. And today she and Joseph must learn from Jesus Himself that although He submits to them as his parents on earth, nevertheless His priority is His duty to His Heavenly Father, which involves a high degree of independence of earthly ties. Such again is the mystery of the Incarnation.
What can we learn from all this? Firstly, the importance of living a life of prayer. There can be no real growth in our lives as children of God without prayer, both our participating in celebrating the mysteries of the Sacred Liturgy, especially in the Holy Eucharist, and in our daily personal prayers. I would say that the greatest gift parents can give their children – not of course the only gift – is the gift of teaching them how to pray, which is essential for the handing on of the Faith. To this end, families ought to pray together too. Secondly, live lives filled with hope. Despite the trials and uncertainties we are now faced with, do not give up hope in God but trust in Him. “Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides for ever” (Ps 125). Children are naturally very sensitive to the way their parents behave. If they sense their parents are anxious or troubled, they too will become afraid. Of course we are all concerned about our future living in this pandemic, but for the one who has confidence in God, worries will dissipate. So therefore, do not worry. Remember we can have a much greater confidence in God if we but trust in Him more than in any vaccine. It is not that the two are separate, for medicine and science are gifts of God too, but to be used with Him and not instead of Him. Technology alone will not gain us eternal life, our ultimate goal, but complete trust in God and all that entails, including our conversion to Him, will. Technology may prolong our life a little, but it does not save. And neither will prayer alone if we neglect the needs of our neighbour, our families, our children, our responsibilities in this life, including our duty to pray for them, to pray for those involved in medical research. All these go together, as faith and reason go together. The problems arise when we try to advance without God and that in a nutshell is what we in the West especially with tremendous achievements in the science domain have tried to do. We can recall the advice of St Pio, Padre Pio, who would tell his penitents “Pray, hope and don’t worry.” Worry is not of God and is one way Satan can seek to discourage us, if we permit him. Another way is by casting confusion on us. When these things happen, then we can repeat often “Jesus, I trust in You. Jesus I trust in You. Jesus I trust in You”
Dom Brian Gerard Kelly, OSB