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| Murillo's Holy Family |
The word of God on the Feast of the Holy Family has bible options. I chose Genesis and Colossians. They are all about family.
In the Book of Genesis, Abraham worries that he is childless. But Abraham puts his trust in God. Abraham’s wife had a son. The author challenges us to trust always in God, no matter how anxious we are about a particular situation.
Paul’s letter begins with the familial address “Brothers and sisters,” and carries qualities we should embody as family: compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness, love.
Luke’s Gospel tells us that when Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple, Simeon took Jesus into his arms and blessed God and said, “My eyes have seen your salvation … a light …”
The close-knit family then went back home, where Jesus grew in wisdom and age and God’s favor (Lk 2:41–52). This family clung together, worked together at ordinary tasks. And like every family, Mary eventually waved a goodbye to Jesus as he set off for his life’s mission. She experienced the empty nest! And what sustained the holy family? I would like to suggest three virtues.
Faithfulness sustains family life. Married couples are called to be open to new life and to nourish and educate the children with whom God gifts them. To do this well, parents need to be faithful to each other and to their children. Faithfulness builds trust. We all need to know that someone loves us and will be there. Sometimes parents have to show tough love. But we need the anchor of faithfulness.
Second, families need courage. In William Bennett’s Book of Virtues, we find stories of David and Goliath, Susan B. Anthony, and Rosa Parks. Courage is an attitude that challenges us, despite our fears, to stand up for what is right and true and good. Many of us would include our parents in our list of courageous people. Parenting, sustaining life, requires courage.
And the third virtue is prudence: to seek the right thing to do. Parents have to act amid the messiness of everyday life, to make decisions often without clearly seeing all the possible outcomes. Prudence requires that parents continually reflect and learn.
People have long noted God’s creations and their lessons. Look at the newborn bald eagles in two Florida nests. “Eagle cams” let us view closely the way the parents carefully create the nest and incubate as a team. Bald eagles mate for life, and are marvelously oriented to the new lives: sustaining them, spreading their mantles to protect them, living examples. The babies watch, bobble, then walk, grow and fledge as they discover the wonder of their own winged identity.
Consider the Book of Deuteronomy: “Like an eagle that protects its nest, that flutters over its young” (Deut 32:11). And Psalm 91: “He will shelter you…and under his wings you may take refuge.” You’ll find many such creative passages in Scripture. May God grace us with faith, courage and prudence as we soar into this new year.
