Feast of the Holy Family

Sunday readings in brief: Holy Family Feast

Gen 15:1-6,21:1-3; Ps 105; Heb 11:8,11-12. 17019; Lk 2:22-40

Family: Backbone of the Society

My dear friends, today is the feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. This is a model family for all Christian families. Each of its members played their God-given roles well to attain salvation for humanity. We owe them reverence for this and the only way we can show our gratitude to them is to imitate them in our own families. Many people were blessed because of this family. Is my family a blessing to others?

Family is the first human institution designed and intended by God for the growth and development of all individuals who come to this world. It is where all begins. If the family is solid and stable, the society and the nation benefit because there will be responsible leaders and citizenry in it. If the family is broken, the society also will be broken.

There are two types of families, those of blood relations and those built upon a common faith. Blood families start when two individuals, a man, and a woman, come together and decide to share all they are and have with each other. In Gen 1:26-28, we read that God created man and woman in his own image and likeness, blessed them, and commanded them to multiply and fill the earth. God is the one who officiated the first marriage between a man and a woman. This is what makes the basis of the family.

Many families unite to build communities. These are bound together by common goals and purposes. Their members share similar values and maintain a clearly defined and disciplined way of life. However, the stability of any community depends on the stability of the individual families. This is because the individuals bring with them what they learn and live in their basic blood families to the wider communities.

The first readings tell the story of an old man Abraham, who lived in frustration because he was already old, his wife Sarah had passed the age, and they had no heir. Though he was surrounded by children of his servants, he was a sad man. However, Abraham was faithful to God, and as a result; God wiped all his frustration in a very miraculous way by giving him a son in a situation that was regarded as hopeless and impossible. Are you in a seemingly hopeless situation right now? Well, everything is possible with God.

The typical human family consists of parents and their children who live together in love, peace, joy, and fear of God. Sometimes this family is extended with close relatives living together. It is in the family that we are “supposed” to get all the love and warmth we need. The family is a school of values for all the members. It is supposed to be the most secure place where an individual can seek refuge. It is the core of the society. Family is a beautiful thing and cannot be replaced by any other thing as an alternative.

Nevertheless, today there are many challenges facing this institution that have ripped it of holiness and security. When God created the universe and human beings, he created them with a lot of order and instilled discipline, the natural order. He created man and woman last and gave them freedom over all other creatures. They were supposed to take care of God’s creation for their own benefit. As we all know, this freedom led man and woman to ruin what was created holy and corrupted it with their disordered ambitions. Today things have become worse. Many people suffer in this world because either they do not have families, or their families are broken. Some did not choose to be in this situation but many are suffering because of the choices they or their family members made.

There are so many broken families in our society today because the values and discipline that are supposed to hold the members together are no more. Some break because they were built on the wrong foundation and intentions from the very beginning. As a priest, I encounter numerous cases of broken families and others on the verge of breaking. The majority are at this juncture because things were not done well from the beginning. Many people go through incredible suffering because of the chaos caused by some members of their family. The majority of the victims are women and children. Men too suffer but they would rather not talk about it.

Disciplined and responsible love is what builds a solid and stable family. To build a family is not an obvious thing like many think. Since it is a sacred institution, those who want to create one need to be taught what it takes and keep sanctifying themselves daily. When a man and a woman decide to stay together and give birth to children without any form of values to govern them, that union cannot become a family and most probably, it will end up chaotic.

Though humans share many characteristics with other animals such as the ability to procreate, they are much more than animals. Many people choose to live at the level of animals and refuse to climb to the intelligent level of humans. God created man and woman with intelligence so that they could live like him. In many traditional communities, families are valued but there is a hierarchy of dignity among the members. Women in most cases are treated like servants or slaves to their men. A community that discriminated against its women remains backward.

Christian family values make individuals aware of their respective roles and responsibilities to build a stable God-fearing society. They are supposed to sensitize and enhance the unity of the family. However, what we are seeing today are Christian preachers, denominations, and even pastoral groups that do not value the unity of the family and they are breaking many good families in the name of Jesus. Jesus is surely not part of that chaos. You cannot have one or some of the family members “saved” and others are not. The individualistic gospel is being preached today and its mongers promise prosperity to individuals at the expense of the other members of the family. My dear friends, if you come across someone who is only concerned about your personal salvation and are not interested in your entire family, please run.

Any faith group that does not promote the unity of the family should be sanctioned and its leaders arrested because they are destroying the fabric that holds our society together. We have so much corruption in our society because people have not received basic values from the beginning of their lives. People who grew up in broken families and now are holding public positions are messing with us. They will always get it wrong if they do not get alternative care.

Dear friends, as we celebrate the feast of the Holy Family, let us look back and see how we are building our families. If we have issues, we can always decide to do something about it before it is too late. For those whose families are already in problems, there is a lot one can do as an individual to salvage things. Always seek guidance from the right people and places. The devil is divisive by nature and his main occupation is to break what is united. Let us not give him a chance.

Have a blessed family feast.

Fr. Lawrence Muthee, SVD