Lk.2:22-40
Once I came across an incident shared by one of our priests connected to a golden jubilee of wedding that he attended. Children solemnly organized this event to express their gratitude and to celebrate their fidelity to the family. There was a thanksgiving Eucharist at the beginning of the programme to thank the Lord for all the choicest blessings and conjugal love that sustained them all these years. The first reading they had chosen from the first letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians, Paul’s testament of love. The husband started to read the scripture, and not with his lips but with his heart. After a while, his words were broken and burst into tears. All those who witnessed this moment and those who knew this family closely experienced this emotional moment. He could not complete the reading so, one of his daughters consoled him and she completed the reading on behalf of him.
When that priest shared this story I did not feel anything extraordinary because it is quite natural people move with emotional like these occasions. Then someone among us who knew this family well-asked to that priest, ‘Did his wife partake in the Eucharist? Then I came to know the second part of the story. His wife was present for the Mass on her wheelchair. She had been paralysed for more than half of their married life. This man was a busy business person. Even then he did not appoint a home nurse to look after her. He used to look after her extremely well, attending to all her needs. Almost 35 years that was his routine and he never complained about it. Yes, this man lived the promise that they had taken fifty years before on the day of marriage… “On this special day, I give to you in the presence of God, my promise to stand by your side, in sickness and health, in joy and sorrow, as well as through the good times and the bad.”
Today we celebrate the feast of Holy Family of Nazareth… The celebration of this feast has great significance in our times. In the recent past, I came across a few families, on the verge of diverse. I am not intending to say that the issues that led to this dead-end were silly. No, their problems were matters of concern. At times, it is easy for us to give advice but one who is going through this existential situation, may not be that so easy to solve it, at the same time it is not impossible too. I believe the Holy Family could teach a great deal in this regard.
In family life, there is no superior, inferior difference. Husband can’t live in this utopian thinking that he is the master of the house. We read in the book of Genesis that God created man and woman, in his image and likeness. It resembles our God-given ability to enter into communion with God and each other. The union of both husband and wife is the best possible union that we can have in our earthly relationships.
Now, let us come to the Holy family. We could observe lots of imperfections in this small family. Mary could not explain everything to Joseph, the message of the angel Gabriel, her conception of Son of God and all the events connected to this. In return, Joseph was an ordinary carpenter who had to encounter his bride being pregnant without his knowledge. The only light that he gets is the revelation of angel Gabriel through a dream revealing to him Mary’s innocence and God’s plan of salvation. Even then these tensed situations were sufficient enough for the breakdown of that family but why didn’t happen?
The only possible conclusion that we can arrive at is the presence of Jesus in the family. When Joseph and Mary dedicated their life for Jesus, they enjoyed a perfect communion that helped them to overcome all the imperfections that were present in this family. Both Joseph and Mary kept Jesus as their priority despite all the other challenges such as being migrant in Egypt, the threat of King Herod, the hard labour to yearn daily bread, etc. When they nurtured Jesus with their love and care, Jesus grew in their heart and so heaven amidst them and thus this family became heaven on earth. When we come across families that are on the verge of a break down the only question that we need to pose is: ‘Where is Jesus in this family?’ Invariably we may not find Jesus there. Unfortunately, they might have sent him out of the family and so no more the experience of being in communion, there is any conjugal love, care and there is lack of meaning in being together with their children. Let us bring Jesus to our families, nurture and care him by receiving his word and living according to his word… then for sure, our families will have a great legacy to share for the future generations.