The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and
Joseph – December 31, 2017
I
– Those who fear the Lord honor their parents.
R
– Blessed are those who fear the Lord, and walk in his ways.
II
– Family life in the Lord.
A
– Let the peace of Christ control your hearts; let the word of Christ dwell in
you richly.
G –
Take the child and his mother and flee into Egypt.
+ On this Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, I
should like to focus on the person of St.
Joseph. Last Monday we celebrated the feast of the Child Jesus, tomorrow we
will celebrate the feast of Mary,
the Mother of Jesus, and so today it is fitting and proper to speak
for a few moments on holy, just, good
and faith-filled Joseph, who was chosen by God to be the husband of Mary
and foster-father of Jesus the Lord.
Joseph possessed all of the
virtues of a true holy man of
the faith of Abraham and the
house of David. And his most outstanding virtue, along with faith,
would have to be TRUST! Joseph trusted God absolutely,
implicitly, unquestioningly and immediately! In the gospel passage we
hear that Joseph received news from an angel in a dream to take the child and his mother and
flee into Egypt for the safety of the life of the child. Joseph did
not have to question the angel at all; he awoke and did what the angel told
him!
Then later, when it was safe,
the prophecy : out of Egypt I
called my son was fulfilled, when the angel again appeared to
Joseph and told him to take
his family and return to Nazareth in Galilee – to fulfill yet
another prophecy: he
shall be called a Nazorean.
It was then that Joseph became
the strong earthly father figure for Jesus in his formative years in the home
of Nazareth. He taught him his own carpentry trade. He with Mary taught Jesus
to pray and to observe all of the dictates of the Jewish religion of which they
were a part. His loving example of husband and foster-father is a great role
model for all men who marry and have children.
And the respect and submission
that Mary and Jesus had to Joseph’s
God-inspired leadership in their family was equally noteworthy.
Mary was the ideal mother and wife – who trusted God that all would work out
well for her family! It would not be easy later on – but with the support of
Joseph for a while, and the community of disciples of Jesus after that, she
would have what she needed for the remainder of her earthly life. And it is to
be noted that Jesus, as a child obeyed Joseph without question or argument!
May our monastic family lives
resemble the Holy Family Life
– with parents and children (abbots and monks) respecting and loving and anticipating one another in deeds
of kindness and helpfulness. And may the dynamic of the marriage of
Mary and Joseph, be the model for all Christian marriages – which were
sanctified and sacramentalized by their own Son, Jesus – where the husband cherishes and cares
totally for the wife and children more easily, the more they each in turn trust
in and submit to his prayer inspired, Spirit aided, decisions for their
welfare.
Let the peace of Christ
control our hearts, all of us;
let the word of Christ dwell in us richly through FAITH and the
TRUST that St. Joseph inspires!