Gospel: Mt 2:13-15, 19-23
When the magi had departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him.” Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed for Egypt. He stayed there until the death of Herod, that what the Lord had said through the prophet might be fulfilled, Out of Egypt I called my son.
When Herod had died, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child’s life are dead.” He rose, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go back there. And because he had been warned in a dream, he departed for the region of Galilee. He went and dwelt in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, He shall be called a Nazorean.
Homily
Yesterday we remembered and celebrated a birth which took place over two thousand years ago. Today, because of the quirks of the calendar we celebrate the environment in which that life was nourished, blossomed and bore fruit. Yesterday we celebrate the birth of Christ, today we celebrate the family which nurtured him and brought him to manhood. As we celebrate this family, the Holy Family of Nazareth it is important for us to reflect on the values by which this family lived so that we adopt these values as our own and make them part of the value system of our own families.
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In any family there is at least one adult and a dependent child or children and these have different roles. The Gospel passage given for this feast describes the prime role of the adults or adult in a family. It is protection. We are told that Joseph was told in a dream “Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him.” We know from the gospels that Joseph exercised this role of protection throughout Jesus’ early years. Protection however must not be simply understood in the physical sense, it must also be understood in the moral and religious spheres. Other scripture passages tell us that Mary and Joseph did for the child what the law required them to do. It was because of this training at home which Jesus assimilated that he became the adult that he was. Again Scripture tells us that Jesus went down to Nazareth with Mary and Joseph and was subject to them.
The Church in the definition of marriage which she hold tells us that Marriage is a partnership of every aspect of life, entered into for the Good of the Spouses and for the procreation and upbringing of children. This definition contains all the values explicit and implicit in the Gospel passage which is given to us for this feast. The partnership of every aspect of life speaks to us of the trust without which marriage cannot be sustained. From the Gospel story we know that Mary had total trust in Joseph and in his decisions. We also know that Jesus trusted what his parents were doing for him. “He went down to Nazareth and was subject to them.” Jesus, as man, learned to trust no doubt because of the example of Mary and Joseph. He learnt to trust God and he learnt to trust other human beings and trusting them he loved them. How important it is therefore that families be schools of trust. It is when families are schools of love and trust that the climate is created in which children can be educated to be good children of God and good citizens of the world and more particularly of Trinidad and Tobago.
As we celebrate this feast of the Holy Family let us then reflect on the vocation of family life which is to be the propagator of good children of God and good citizens of the world and more particularly of Trinidad and Tobago, we must ask ourselves whether or not our families are being faithful to this vocation and take the necessary steps to ensure that they are. It is only when family life is faithful to its vocation that we will build a church of saints.
Prayer
All powerful and ever-loving God, as we celebrate this Feast of the Holy Family, we ask that you give us the grace to internalize all the lessons which the Holy Family teaches us. May our families be schools of love and of trust. May our families help our children to understand their vocation in life and may they help us all to grow in wisdom and age and grace before God and men. We ask this through the intercession of the Holy family. Amen
