God had a family. A meditation on the life of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.

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Gospel: Luke 2: 22-40

When the days were completed for their purification 
according to the law of Moses, 
They took him up to Jerusalem
to present him to the Lord,
just as it is written in the law of the Lord, 
Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord, 
and to offer the sacrifice of
a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons, 
in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord.

Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon.
This man was righteous and devout,
awaiting the consolation of Israel, 
and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit 
that he should not see death 
before he had seen the Christ of the Lord.
He came in the Spirit into the temple; 
and when the parents brought in the child Jesus 
to perform the custom of the law in regard to him, 
He took him into his arms and blessed God, saying:
“Now, Master, you may let your servant go
in peace, according to your word,
for my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you prepared in sight of all the peoples,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and glory for your people Israel.”
The child’s father and mother were amazed at what was said about him; 
and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, 
“Behold, this child is destined 
for the fall and rise of many in Israel,
and to be a sign that will be contradicted 
—and you yourself a sword will pierce— 
so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”
There was also a prophetess, Anna, 
the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher.
She was advanced in years, 
having lived seven years with her husband after her marriage, 
and then as a widow until she was eighty-four.
She never left the temple, 
but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer.
And coming forward at that very time, 
she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child 
to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem. 

When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions
of the law of the Lord,
they returned to Galilee,
to their own town of Nazareth.
The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; 
and the favor of God was upon him.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Three days before Christmas, Nahida Anton and her fifty-year-old daughter, Samar, walked outside of the Church of the Holy Family in Gaza. Witnesses say they were going to use the facilities located just outside of the church.

Suddenly, Nahida was shot by a sniper. Shocked and terrified, her daughter ran over to her. Then she, too, was killed. 

Nahida and Samar were Catholic Christians seeking refuge in their local parish due to the ongoing war in Gaza.

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That church, the Church of the Holy Family, stands alongside the ancient road that Jesus, Mary, and Joseph walked shortly after Christ’s birth.

The Holy Family had to flee their home because King Herod believed Jesus was a threat to his reign, so he ordered the death of every male child under the age of two.

Thankfully, Joseph was warned in a dream to take Jesus and Mary into Egypt before Herod’s soldiers reached them. They remained as refugees in Egypt until Herod died a few years later.

In spending his first few – and most vulnerable – years as a refugee, our Lord stood in solidarity with every other family who has fled their homeland due to war and violence. Some estimates claim there are still 110 million people displaced from their home around the world today.

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Twelve years later, Mary and Joseph lost Jesus in the Temple in Jerusalem. Any parent can empathize with the stomach-sinking thought of losing your child in a crowd… and in Mary and Joseph’s case, for three long days.

Mary reveals her grief after finding Jesus, when she says to him, “Son, why have you done this to us?”

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Sometime between that moment and the crucifixion of our Lord twenty years later, Saint Joseph died. Had he still been alive, Mary would’ve returned home with him after the death of our Lord. 

The fact that Jesus entrusted Mary to the Apostle John from the cross meant she had nowhere else to go.

Like some present here today, Mary knows the sorrow of losing – not only a spouse, but also a child.

These life-experiences of the Holy Family remind us, as the Chinese proverb states, “Not one family can put a sign outside of their home with the words: No Problems Here.”

Not the Palestinian Christians hiding in the Church of the Holy Family in Gaza. Not Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Not one of us.

We’ve all experienced loss and grief in life, as well as the consolation, love, and joy that family-life brings. 

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What the Gospels do not describe are the thirty years Jesus and Mary shared before his public ministry. These are often referred to as “the quiet years.” 

It seems our Lord wanted to experience first-hand, not only the sorrow, but also the joy that family-life brings before he revealed the fullness of his identity with the world. 

In Jesus, God took on flesh, because he wanted to feel the warmth of a mother’s hug. The delight of making friends. The awkwardness of adolescence.  

The thrilling, ordinary, sublime reality of life as we know it.

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On this Feast of the Holy Family, we’re invited to ponder two things:

First, the life-experiences of the Holy Family – the truth that God took on flesh. That he laughed and cried, ate and drank, even suffered and died like one of us.

And secondly, to ponder our own experience of belonging to a family. What have been you’re your challenges? Joys? What are your hopes for the future?

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Not one family can put a sign outside their home with the words, “No problems here.” Not Palestinian Christians in Gaza. Not Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Not one of us.

Yet as difficult as life can be, it’s our family – our relatives, friends, and this faith community – who are meant to shoulder those burdens with us.

As Saint Paul says, “Bear one another’s burdens. In so doing you, you fulfill the law of Christ.”

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Image credits: (1) Adobe Stock (2) The Independent (3) Catholic Review