Lessons we can learn from the Holy Family
Photo by Debby Hudson on Unsplash
Ordinary shepherds who were working in the fields around Bethlehem were the first people to receive the angel’s announcement of the birth of a Messiah. These same shepherds went immediately with haste and found Joseph the father and Mary the mother with the child lying in a manger. The first eye-witnesses of the birth of Jesus behold a family scene, a father, mother and a new-born child. Jesus was born into a human family and wanted to have a mother and father like us.
It may be looking slightly ahead of Christmas Day itself but it’s good to be aware that in the Catholic tradition, the feast of the Holy Family will be celebrated on the first Sunday after Christmas. It’s a beautiful feast day and one which is welcomed and celebrated worldwide, as the Holy Family can be seen as a model of life not just for the everyday family but also for religious communities and indeed for the entire Church. We can learn many things from them. Let’s look at a few lessons they can teach us.
The Holy Family were not immune to Suffering
In a way, they were just one more ordinary family who lived facing God and who accepted life as it came to them. Like many people who are in exile or who have been forced to leave their home country because of war or tribulation, they were familiar with the pain and uncertainty that all this entails. They knew what it was like to face unexpected trials - just like any family.
Through contemplating the figures of the Holy Family, we can get light to offer others comfort and empathy especially in those situations where peace is lacking, and harmony and forgiveness is scarce. Pain and suffering can help us discover God who is beside us whispering in our ears: I know what you are going through. I experienced the same. You are not alone.
Pope Francis spelled out three simple words that we can all use within the family to help us live in peace and harmony; “please,may I? and thanks.” He also urged us to make peace in the family, if there was a disagreement, before we go to bed. He suggested using the words “I am sorry, thank you, and please” a bit more in our interactions. Very small words that are sometimes very difficult to utter.
The Holy Family were Poor
God, the Creator of the entire universe, freely chose to be born in abject poverty, in a stable only suitable for animals. This fact alone can teach us that poverty is not bad and that not having everything we would like can be something which can draw us closer to God.
The Holy Family built their life on Trust
Human relationships that are built on trust are ones that flourish. In the life of the Holy Family there was an atmosphere and climate of faith and trust in divine providence - that God knew what was best for them, even if it seemed humanly difficult. The immediate flight into Egypt after the warning from an angel in a dream is a great example of this.
When families are able to breathe in this pure air of faith and trust they become more energised, and this enables them to face the various trials that will inevitably occur. One small thing that can help us in the whole area of trust is to maintain a sense of awe and astonishment before the events and things that happen to us. Being able to marvel, to be astonished is one of the secrets for moving forward as a family as it prevents us from getting used to the ordinariness of things. Marvelling moves us to tenderness and can become a powerful means of healing wounds in families.
We could all ask ourselves: do I know how to be astonished when I see the good things in another person and in this way help resolve family problems? Do I feel anxious when I become distant from God, or do I know how to grow more in trusting him?
The family of Nazareth is the model family where all families can find inspiration and a point of reference. There are lots of ways we can practise this; to marvel at the way young children speak and act and to take the time to play with them and listen to their conversations. Or we could marvel at the wisdom of grandparents and their stories of courage and resilience. When couples can take time to stand back a bit and marvel at each other’s being and life it can become a splendid opportunity to grow more in mutual respect and love for one another.
The Holy Family can teach us the meaning of Service
Jesus was the centre piece that united the family together and hence it was termed ‘Holy.’ Family is a wonderful arena where we can learn how to forget ourselves and instead focus on another person. Family life offers us a space to learn how to listen, how to give and how to receive. All of this is essential in order that we mature and grow.
Mary is Queen of the family. In the run up to Christmas, we can go to her often in the day by means of a simple look or saying an aspiration (a short prayer) and ask her to help us with some of these things - to help us marvel more, for the grace to trust better and love more, for help to forgive and forget oftentimes. Mary will guide us as parents to help educate our children better, enabling them to open up more to life and to God’s purpose for them each day.
Finally, in this Jubilee year of Hope, the Holy Family will teach us to see the divine each day in our family life and to grow more in respect and love for one another, not just at Christmas but every day too.