Feast of Holy Family

After three days they found the child Jesus in the temple

Fr James McTavish FMVD

Today the Church liturgy celebrates the Feast of the Holy Family – Jesus, Mary and Joseph. The Son of God became man and lived in a family. It helps us to reflect on what it means to be a family. Pope Paul VI wrote a homily on the Holy Family in 1964. He gave three characteristics of the life they lived in Nazareth – silence, love and work. Let us use these to guide our reflection and relate to the Word of God in the readings today.

The gospel of today (Luke 2, 41-52) breaks the silence of the hidden life of Jesus. We hear nothing of the childhood of Jesus until he is twelve years old and lost in the temple. Silence was a feature of the life in Nazareth. Silence is golden especially in the noisy world of today! Pope Paul VI said “If only we could once again appreciate its great value. We need this wonderful state of mind, beset as we are by the cacophony of strident protests and conflicting claims so characteristic of these turbulent times. The silence of Nazareth should teach us how to meditate in peace and quiet, to reflect on the deeply spiritual and the value of a well-ordered personal spiritual life, and of silent prayer that is known only to God.” The fruit of silence spent with God is love.

We are called to love our human family. This love should lead us to grow in awareness of being children of God. We are not only children of our parents but as St John reminds us “Beloved: See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. And so we are.” (See 1 John 3, 1-2, 21-24). Our family life on earth should always be directed towards heaven. We can give many gifts to our children but the best gift I received from my parents was their faith and love for God and each other. 

It is quite fascinating the image of the Holy Family presented in the gospel today. Many images of the Holy Family show them peaceful, with halos and Colgate smiles. The holiness of real life is very different! The holy parents, Mary and Joseph seems to have done something not so holy – they have lost the child Jesus! They had all gone to Jerusalem together for a feast. On the way back the parents of Jesus assumed he was in the caravan. It took them three days to find him. I remember being lost for only a few hours and my parents were so anxious but imagine the angst of Mary and Joseph after three days. His mother said to Jesus “Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.” Even more surprising is the response of the twelve year old Jesus “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”

We can lose Jesus. It can happen to us too and can be part of our process of becoming holy! At times you have to search for Christ. This is a great antidote to mediocrity and complacency. One professional I know was telling me that he was bored with his faith, that the idea of sharing his faith with others was not exciting any more. He had lost his initial fire of following the Lord. He realised that it was time for a change. It was as if he had been with Jesus but in this moment of his faith journey he would have to search for the Lord with more intensity. These moments are a blessing, grace filled opportunities to grow, to move on otherwise you stagnate. Jesus said “Seek me and you will find me” if you seek me with all your heart. The problem is that sometimes we don’t search with all our heart, only part of it. 

Occasional restlessness is vital for us. If we become lazy in our spiritual lives then we need to work a little more. “Pray as everything depends on God, but work as if everything depends on you” the Saints remind us. Pope Paul VI reminds us “In Nazareth, the home of a craftsman’s son, we learn about work and the discipline it entails. I would especially like to recognise its value – demanding yet redeeming – and to give it proper respect”. Work, both material and spiritual, helps us grow in holiness. 

How is my life of silence and contemplation? Does my love for my family remind each one that they are children of God and part of a bigger family? Am I working in my spiritual life? How can I search more for Christ? 

“Not finding him, they returned to Jerusalem to look for him. After three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions, and all who heard him were astounded at his understanding and his answers.” (Lk 2, 45-47). If we feel we have lost Jesus be reassured that we can find him in silence, in love and in work even if it takes ‘three days’ (symbolic of the number of days between His death and resurrection). 

Let us give thanks for the life of the holy family, cherish our own more and more and offer a prayer today for all families especially those in most difficulty. Amen.