THE FAMILY MYSTERY
Feast of the Holy Family
Why are roads blocked by heavy
traffic during this season? Why
are shopping malls teaming with people?
Why is everyone rushing to get home? Parties, yes.
Social functions, yes.
Religious devotions yes.
But at the heart of all these is family.
We want to go home to
family. We want to buy gifts for
loved ones. We want to pray for
people dear to us. We want to make
sure we are present when family dinner is served and when family reunions
happen. Filipino Christmas is
unique in that it is best celebrated not with friends or officemates but with
family members, even if at times, you only get to connect with them by phone or
computer. They need to be there,
physically or virtually, present with you on Christmas day.
Some people complain about their
families – rambunctious kids, erring spouse, gossipy in-laws, high cost of
living and maintenance, endless bickering. But when they consider life apart
from their family, they realize they cannot live happily without this natural
human link.
Some people think that being
without a family means independence and freedom and comfort. And yet, when troubles come, they wish
they had a family to come home to and talk things over.
The family is a mystery. Even God needed a human family when he
came into our history and visited our lives, falling in love with our fallen
world. The gospel of the Holy
Family’s visit to the temple in Jerusalem (Lk. 2) shows us that this most
blessed family was not free from daily concerns and common problems. It was even the Child Jesus who caused
much distress to Mary and Joseph, his legal father! But it is also in the family that Jesus had to eventually
return to learn obedience, love and unity. It was in the family that Mary developed a reflective
heart. It was in this family that
Joseph became a holy man by faithfully working for a living.
The family is important to God
because God too is family.
Remember that when we think of God, we think of Father, we think of
Son. Aren’t these family words?
And yet they refer us to the heart of God himself. We also think of the Spirit, the spirit of love and unity,
the atmosphere essential to every family.
This is why as Christians we are called
to cherish our families, to nurture our
families, and to protect our families. The Church, the family of God on earth, has a special
mission to defend the family. Many
forces today destroy the family.
Abortion, contraception and rebellions of all sorts tear away at the
fabric of the family. Divorce,
abuse, violence transform the family into an agency of oppression rather than
real freedom.
There is no perfect family in our
world today but the Lord reminds us that every family centered on God finds
peace, unity and joy. Remember your families. Pray for your families. Help your families find the way to
Jesus the Prince of Peace.
