THEME: BEATITUDES OF FAMILY LIFE
READINGS: 1 Samuel 1:20-22, 24-28/1 John 3:1-2, 21-24/ Luke 2:41-52
The Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph
Today the Church celebrates the feast of the Holy Family of the Child Jesus, Mother Mary and Blessed Joseph. The Holy Family is a model for all families. Our respective families can learn from the Holy Family. In this homily, I wish to present eight lessons we can learn from the Holy Family. These lessons have been presented in the form of beatitudes. The word “beatitude” refers to blessedness; hence, each of the beatitudes, as found in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, begins with the word “blessed” (Matt. 5:3-12). Now, let us look at the eight beatitudes of family life.
- Blessed is the family that prays together, it shall stay together. Jesus, Mother Mary and Blessed Joseph prayed and worshiped together (cf. Luke 2:41), and therefore always stayed together. Indeed, even death could not separate them, for they are eternally together in the bliss of heaven.
- Blessed is the family whose members work hard, for they shall not want. Though prayer is paramount to family life, prayer alone may not be able to put food on the family dining table. Members of the family, especially the parents, should, like the carpenter St. Joseph, work hard to ensure their sustenance.
- Blessed is the family whose members face challenges together, for they shall overcome them. According to today’s gospel reading, Blessed Joseph and Mother Mary were united in looking for the Child Jesus. Happily, they did not blame each other when they realized that Jesus was not in their company on their return to Nazareth. Rather, they focused on looking for Him. Therefore, when a challenge arises in a family, it is not the time to resort to a blame game, but to face it together.
- Blessed is the family whose members communicate well with one another, they shall enjoy mutual trust and support. As one reads the story of Blessed Joseph and Mother Mary, it becomes obvious that with increasing communication between the couple, the initial suspicion of the origin of Mary’s conception gave way to mutual trust and support. For instance, when King Herod intended to kill the Child Jesus and Blessed Joseph received an angel’s message that they should flee to Egypt, Mother Mary readily trusted Blessed Joseph when he communicated the message to her.
On the contrary, the lack of communication breeds mutual mistrust and the eventual breakdown of marriages. A study done in England in the 1970s revealed that 85% of divorce cases were due to the lack of communication. The importance of communication is even more evident in our era of Information Communications Technology (ICT). I, therefore, believe that a more recent study on communications in marriage might show that the lack of communication accounts for an even higher percentage of divorce cases. Communication is, therefore, key to the success of a marriage.
- Blessed is the family whose spouses do not seek divorce, they shall fulfill their God–given destiny. Imagine that Blessed Joseph had followed through with his initial intention of divorcing Mother Mary when he found that the latter was with a child. Probably, then, God’s plan for the birth of our Saviour might have been thwarted, as among the Jews a woman with child outside wedlock was stoned to death. Happily, as it came to pass, Blessed Joseph accepted the message of the angel, and the God-given destiny of the Child was fulfilled for our salvation. Therefore, spouses should not consider divorce as a solution to their problems; otherwise, they might thwart God’s plans, especially, for their children.
- Blessed are the children of responsible parents, for they shall have a good future.
According to the gospel reading, after the pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem, Jesus joined His parents “to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. … And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor” (Luke 2:51-52). Thus, they invested in His holistic upbringing. Today though, while many parents invest a lot in the academic, physical, emotional, psychological and socio-cultural developments of their children, they seem to pay less attention to their moral and spiritual growths. We encourage such parents to begin to invest more in these two aspects as well.
- Blessed are obedient children, for they shall enjoy the goodness of their own children. Though divine, once He became a human child, Jesus obeyed His parents (cf. Luke 2:51). While parents do their best for their children, the latter should in turn obey them. Children shall then be blessed according to the fourth commandment. In addition, the Book of Sirach mentions other blessings that such children will receive (cf. Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14).
- Blessed are responsible parents, they shall be appreciated by both God and their children. As Jesus has eternally rewarded Mother Mary and Blessed Joseph, so children should express gratitude to their parents for the time, training, treasures, toils and tears invested in them. And adults whose parents are still alive should continue to demonstrate their appreciation in concrete ways: frequent calls, visits, provision of upkeep and healthcare, birthday celebration, etc.
Let me recap the eight beatitudes of family life:
- Blessed is the family that prays together, it shall stay together.
- Blessed is the family whose members work hard, for they shall not want.
- Blessed is the family whose members face challenges together, for they shall overcome them.
- Blessed is the family whose members communicate well with one another, they shall enjoy mutual trust and support.
- Blessed is the family whose spouses do not seek divorce, they shall fulfill their God-given destiny.
- Blessed are the children of responsible parents, for they shall have a good future.
- Blessed are obedient children, for they shall enjoy the goodness of their own children.
- Blessed are responsible parents, they shall be appreciated by both God and their children.
Finally, it is my prayer that in the New Year, you and your families shall experience all of the above beatitudes and more. Amen!
By Most Rev. John Kobina Louis
