“He who obeys his father brings comfort to his mother.” When we look into the eyes of the Holy Family, we should be able to see our own family, our true home, the place we long to belong. Piercing their sweet image, looking into their hearts, seeing their family portrait, understanding their history, and partaking in their journey, we find meaning in our own lives. We can understand perhaps a little bit more the amazing grace our heavenly Father has given unto us. We can personally experience the purpose of our own lives and the gracious gift of being born into such a sacred family. Created in God’s image and made in the holiness of God, we belong to this perfect family graciously given to all humanity as a gift and model to aspire to become. Not just a reflection or a representation of a perfect family, but God’s Holy Family, which creates, renews and forms us anew. Conceived as a new creation through the lifesaving waters of baptism, brought forth from the baptismal womb of Holy Mother Church, we are once again holy members of the household of God, heirs to God’s glorious kingdom and citizens of our true homeland in heaven. When we see beyond ourselves, our own lives, our own problems, we can see our own family, the family of God. Joseph is a man of honor, honoring God our Father and honoring Mary our Mother. Mary is a woman of faith that keeps God’s word deep in her heart and acts upon it. Jesus is the beloved child of God, forever obedient to his Father, forever obedient to his parents, forever committed to us, his family in spirit, in love and in truth. As members of this holy family, we take on their lives, we live by their virtues and learn from their faith. We pray to model their behavior in our lives and trust in God with their trust and love. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph experienced life, as we know it. It was not easy for the Holy Family, as we like to think and believe. They experienced the unfortunate circumstances and effects of a sinful, disobedient humanity. They experienced sorrow and terror, poverty and rejection, illness, and death; however, they remained obedient in faith, confident in prayer, joyful in the Lord, always surrendered, actively submitting to God’s holy and divine will. We believe God was always with them, providing for them but find it difficult to believe that God is also with us, providing for us for all eternity.
