THE HOLY FAMILY
RESPECT AND OPENNESS
TO GOD
A chapel called Holy Family, was
renovated. The images of Jesus, Mary and Joseph used to stand together side by
side in a niche on the main altar. But after the renovation, the Virgin Mary
was placed at the extreme left of the altar, St. Joseph was placed at the
extreme right, and the Child Jesus was enthroned in the middle. A parishioner
gasped when she saw the arrangement and said: This used to be the Holy
Family. Now, they have made it a
broken family!
Families today are not the same
as many years ago. Recently I
talked to several young people.
One was devastated that her parents separated days before Christmas. Another
expressed confusion that he and his siblings have to live some days with their
father and other days with their mother. A student begged me to convince his
parents to consider having their union blessed by the Church. An overseas
Filipina worker came home to file for annulment after a 5 year marriage.
Once held sacred, once considered
legally strong, the family and marriage itself are undergoing a dramatic
evolution with sad and disastrous effects for couples and their children. How
sad it is to discover that the misbehavior of young people is rooted in their
frustrations with their family experiences.
As Christians, we are not immune
from the difficult road travelled by members of the family who continue to
envision and carve a bright future.
Our faith assures us that no family is beyond the loving gaze and warm
embrace of God. There is no greater proof of this than the sending of his Only
Son, Jesus our Lord, into the family of Mary and Joseph, poor, struggling and
threatened individuals themselves.
Riches they did not have, but they relied on faith and commitment to
each other. And so we have this beautiful icon of family life before us.
No family today is perfect and
free of trouble. Our ideal family is far from the real family life we live at
home. As we reflect on this family that Christmas brought together, let us pray
that whatever situation we may find our families into, at least we strive to
infuse two important elements in our relationships within the family.
The first one is honor and
respect. Sirach (ch. 3) reminds us to honor our parents and recognize their
authority in the home. Are young people still conscious that though they are
entitled to seek their own independent lives, they derive great benefit in
treating their parents and elderly with respect and obedience? Do parents
really strive to live with dignity so as to inspire their children?
The second one is openness to
God. All the readings today remind us that when we speak of the family, we
cannot leave God behind. God is
the author of life and relationships.
God is the Father of all who wishes to bring all of us home to his great
embrace. The openness and
obedience of Joseph and Mary to the voice of the Lord speaking to them in their
family life and to the presence of Jesus among them should be our guide in
welcoming the grace of God for our families today. Amen.
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