Fr. Marsel R. Taruk sx
Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph
Luke 2:41-32
They found him in the temple,
sitting in the midst of the teachers,
listening to them and asking them questions” (Lk: 2:46)
The gospel reading for the feast of the Holy Family is about the finding of Jesus in the temple. At first glimpse I thought that the passage was not a suitable text for the feast. Just imagine when Jesus was twelve years old, he stayed behind in Jerusalem. Not knowing this, his parents sought him anxiously, but did not find him. Though they searched the whole caravan, looking for him among their kinsfolk and acquaintances, he was nowhere to be found. A scenery that shows a stubborn small Jesus and upset parents looking for the son that was nowhere to be found. It is not really a story of an ideal family; a holy family. However, wait a minute, they eventually found him, scripture says, in the temple. Not just anywhere, but in the temple; and not just anywhere in the temple, but among the doctors, listening to them and asking them questions.
“Your father and I”, said Mary, “have been looking for you anxiously.” The boy Jesus disturbed his family’s internal harmony momentarily, but with good reason, for the sake of something higher. “Did you know,” Jesus reply to Mary, “that I must be in my Father’s house.” How beautifully and gently but very definitely Jesus takes the name FATHER from Joseph and gives it to God. Here we have the story of the day when Jesus discovered who he was and the discovery did not make him proud. It did not make him look down on his humble parents, the gentle Mary and the hard-working Joseph. He went home and he was obedient to them. The fact that he was God’s Son made him the perfect son of his human parents.
Here is the essence of the Holy Family feast. Through God's mysterious design, it was in that family of Nazareth that the Son of God spent long years of a hidden life. It is therefore the prototype and example for all Christian families. It was unique in the world. Its life was passed in anonymity and silence in a little town in Palestine. It underwent trials of poverty, persecution and exile. It glorified God in an incomparably exalted and pure way. And it will not fail to help Christian families-indeed, all the families in the world-to be faithful to their day-to-day duties, to bear the cares and tribulations of life, to be open and generous to the needs of others, and to fulfill with joy the plan of God in their regard. The center of the Holy Family is the presence of Jesus which sanctifies the family. The Holy Family of Mary, Joseph and Jesus is a symbol of what every family should be like. It is in a special way a sign of the unity of the human family.
Today’s liturgy tells of all the qualities which should characterize the human family: respect, care, kindness, forgiveness, love, peace, duty. It expresses, in terms of the culture of biblical times, the ideal of harmony and working together. Celebrating the feast of the Holy Family today invites and makes us aware that God is always present in every family and specifically in Jesus. The presence of Jesus in the Holy Family and our families will sanctify, bring joy and a new atmosphere, an atmosphere full of blessings, an atmosphere of love and peace. Every Christian family must always present Jesus in all the struggles and problems of family life. Presenting Christ in our families will further unite and strengthen our relationships with each other, giving hope for a better family future. The entire direction of family life is based on submitting the family to God's plan of salvation like Mary and Joseph. Do we feel anxious and restless when we don't present Jesus in our family life? So when every family realizes that Jesus no longer has a place in the family, Jesus has disappeared in the midst of our household life, then it is good for us to try to look for and find Him again. Hopefully we can meet Him again in the "Father's House", namely in an atmosphere of peace, love, harmony, in our prayers and sacrifices. He is in the Father's House, and we must also be with Him in the Father's House to receive His grace, mercy and blessings.
Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph
Luke 2:41-32
They found him in the temple,
sitting in the midst of the teachers,
listening to them and asking them questions” (Lk: 2:46)
The gospel reading for the feast of the Holy Family is about the finding of Jesus in the temple. At first glimpse I thought that the passage was not a suitable text for the feast. Just imagine when Jesus was twelve years old, he stayed behind in Jerusalem. Not knowing this, his parents sought him anxiously, but did not find him. Though they searched the whole caravan, looking for him among their kinsfolk and acquaintances, he was nowhere to be found. A scenery that shows a stubborn small Jesus and upset parents looking for the son that was nowhere to be found. It is not really a story of an ideal family; a holy family. However, wait a minute, they eventually found him, scripture says, in the temple. Not just anywhere, but in the temple; and not just anywhere in the temple, but among the doctors, listening to them and asking them questions.
“Your father and I”, said Mary, “have been looking for you anxiously.” The boy Jesus disturbed his family’s internal harmony momentarily, but with good reason, for the sake of something higher. “Did you know,” Jesus reply to Mary, “that I must be in my Father’s house.” How beautifully and gently but very definitely Jesus takes the name FATHER from Joseph and gives it to God. Here we have the story of the day when Jesus discovered who he was and the discovery did not make him proud. It did not make him look down on his humble parents, the gentle Mary and the hard-working Joseph. He went home and he was obedient to them. The fact that he was God’s Son made him the perfect son of his human parents.
Here is the essence of the Holy Family feast. Through God's mysterious design, it was in that family of Nazareth that the Son of God spent long years of a hidden life. It is therefore the prototype and example for all Christian families. It was unique in the world. Its life was passed in anonymity and silence in a little town in Palestine. It underwent trials of poverty, persecution and exile. It glorified God in an incomparably exalted and pure way. And it will not fail to help Christian families-indeed, all the families in the world-to be faithful to their day-to-day duties, to bear the cares and tribulations of life, to be open and generous to the needs of others, and to fulfill with joy the plan of God in their regard. The center of the Holy Family is the presence of Jesus which sanctifies the family. The Holy Family of Mary, Joseph and Jesus is a symbol of what every family should be like. It is in a special way a sign of the unity of the human family.
Today’s liturgy tells of all the qualities which should characterize the human family: respect, care, kindness, forgiveness, love, peace, duty. It expresses, in terms of the culture of biblical times, the ideal of harmony and working together. Celebrating the feast of the Holy Family today invites and makes us aware that God is always present in every family and specifically in Jesus. The presence of Jesus in the Holy Family and our families will sanctify, bring joy and a new atmosphere, an atmosphere full of blessings, an atmosphere of love and peace. Every Christian family must always present Jesus in all the struggles and problems of family life. Presenting Christ in our families will further unite and strengthen our relationships with each other, giving hope for a better family future. The entire direction of family life is based on submitting the family to God's plan of salvation like Mary and Joseph. Do we feel anxious and restless when we don't present Jesus in our family life? So when every family realizes that Jesus no longer has a place in the family, Jesus has disappeared in the midst of our household life, then it is good for us to try to look for and find Him again. Hopefully we can meet Him again in the "Father's House", namely in an atmosphere of peace, love, harmony, in our prayers and sacrifices. He is in the Father's House, and we must also be with Him in the Father's House to receive His grace, mercy and blessings.