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Gospel: Luke 2: 16-21
The shepherds went in haste to Bethlehem and found Mary and Joseph,
and the infant lying in the manger.
When they saw this,
they made known the message
that had been told them about this child.
All who heard it were amazed
by what had been told them by the shepherds.
And Mary kept all these things,
reflecting on them in her heart.
Then the shepherds returned,
glorifying and praising God
for all they had heard and seen,
just as it had been told to them.
When eight days were completed for his circumcision,
he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel
before he was conceived in the womb.
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Maybe you’ve heard the old Chinese proverb, “Not one family can put a sign outside their home with the words: No Problems Here.”
Perhaps we experienced some tension with siblings or in-laws over the Christmas holiday.
But not one family, not even the Holy Family – Jesus, Mary, and Joseph – can say, “No problems here.”
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Consider the conditions Jesus, Mary, and Joseph experienced that first Christmas night.
They were homeless.
Imagine how stressful it must’ve been – feeling unwelcome, having a door shut in your face, giving birth to your child outside in a stable.
Suddenly, shepherds appear. While these men have come to praise the infant Jesus, it must’ve been difficult for Mary and Joseph to sacrifice what little privacy they had.
All of these things left Mary wondering, “What’s happened to me? To us? How will Joseph and I raise this miraculous child? Why was I chosen to be the Mother of God?”
She didn’t have all – or any – of the answers. As the Gospel tells us today, Mary, “kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.” Meaning, she literally tried “stitching” the meaning of these events together.
Still, life becomes more – not less – complicated for them.
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After Christ’s birth, King Herod learns there’s a “newborn King,” so he issues a decree to kill every male child found under the age of two, ensuring his position as the one in power.
Imagine having just given birth, then you’re forced to flee your home because the king wants your son dead. After Joseph was warned in a dream to take Mary and Jesus to Egypt, he responds in faith.
But it must’ve left them wondering still, “Why us?”
Nobody dreams of being homeless, persecuted, or a refugee. Yet there they are, an improbable family of three struggling to survive.
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We hear nothing of the Holy Family until twelve years later, when Jesus gets separated from Mary and Joseph in the temple. They search for him for three days, and when they finally find him, they’re exhausted.
These become the first words that Mary ever says to Jesus in the Gospels: “Son, why have you done this to us?”
Every parent knows the fear of losing a child in a crowd. Mary and Joseph were no different.
The drama that unfolded that day, much like being shut out on Christmas night, reminds us that not one family, not even the Holy Family, can say, “No problems here.”
Mary, like us, can only try to stitch together the meaning of it all.
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Part of what makes the Holy Family “holy” – and relatable to us – is the fact that they endured all of their trials together.
The Gospels never describe Mary and Joseph in conflict; they don’t yell at each other, they don’t call each other names, they don’t blame each other, play passive aggressive, or force Jesus to take sides.
They endure everything together.
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This is, perhaps, an important reminder for us today.
There’s a world of difference between being stressed and divided. Every family is stressed from time to time. But that doesn’t mean that we have to be divided.
What causes tension in my family?
In what ways might I work to reduce it?
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Although it’s much easier said than done, there are three simple phrases that can build any family up, things I’m sure the Holy Family also said to each other:
Thank you. I love you. I’m sorry.
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Not one family, not even the Holy Family, can put a sign outside their home with the words, “No Problems Here.”
But they remind us that no matter what life throws at us, we can endure it all together.
Perhaps it’s best to conclude with that great priestly blessing we heard in our first reading, which I extend to you and your families as we begin a new year:
May the Lord bless you and keep you! May the Lord let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you! May the Lord look upon you kindly and give you his peace! Amen.
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Image credits: (1) QuotesGram (2) The Holy Family, Giorgione (3) 90 Family Quotes, Today
