Dignity and Respect in the Family of Jesus…and Our Families
The feast of the Holy Family (the Sunday following Christmas) celebrates the first community that blessed Jesus and was blessed by him. It would be easy to miss this quiet feast this year because it is celebrated two days after Christmas.
Following is a reflection on today’s Scripture readings by Daniel J. Harrington, S.J., a professor of New Testament at Weston Jesuit School of Theology:
For most Christians the family is the first school of spirituality. In that context we learn (or do not learn) the basics of morality and religion, and we develop our sense of responsibility and mutual respect. On Christmas Day we celebrated the birth of Jesus, through whom we believe that we have entered upon a new relationship with God. We are God’s children alongside the Son of God. This means that we should respect one another as God has respected us. The theme of our identity and dignity as God’s children runs through the readings for Holy Family Sunday, which we celebrate today.
Our first reading from Sirach 3 is an instruction for adults to care for their aging parents. That plea is based on the commandment to “honor your father and mother,” which was addressed originally to adults rather than to young children. We are to honor our aging parents not only out of gratitude for their gifts of life and care, but also because as children of God they deserve our respect and love.
In our second reading, we hear the household code from Colossians 3, in which husbands are exhorted to love their wives and avoid bitterness toward them. Likewise, parents are urged to avoid nagging their children, lest they become discouraged. Even within the patriarchal family structure assumed in the passage, there is an overriding emphasis on respect based upon our common identity and dignity as God’s children through Christ.
Luke’s account of the child Jesus teaching in the Temple area prefigures Jesus’ activities as an adult. He goes up to Jerusalem on Passover, engages the Jewish sages in dialogue and claims the Jerusalem Temple as his Father’s house. Yet there are some disturbing features. Jesus fails to inform his parents of his whereabouts, and he answers them in a “fresh” manner.
The child Jesus’ behavior reminds us that while the human family is an essential context of spirituality, it is not an absolute. Sometimes one’s obligations to God can supersede natural family duties (Luke 9:59-62). Later in Luke’s Gospel (8:21; 11:28) Jesus redefines his family as those who hear God’s word and act upon it. The final sentences in today’s reading affirm that Jesus participated fully and flourished in his family.
Christian family life begins with the recognition of our common identity and dignity as God’s children through Jesus the Son of God.
We may find it difficult to find time for prayer during this season when we are out of our normal routine. We may be spending more time with our immediate family or getting together with extended family or friends. With focused attention, we can let many very ordinary parts of our days become prayerful and rich with grace. Imagine how different this Christmas Season would be if we let every handshake, touch on the arm, every hug, every kiss, be an opportunity - even for a few brief seconds - to turn to God in thanksgiving and with a prayer. "Thank you so much for Ann; she is such a gift. Please give her your freedom and peace." "Chris is such a wonderful partner.
Please fill our marriage with faith, generosity and self-sacrificing love." "Lord, you know the struggles I have with Michael; let me be as compassionate and loving with him as you are." In these or similar brief prayers, our very ordinary gestures of greeting might be transformed and full of faith. Any other activity can become a ritual, if I let it have meaning: turning on the Christmas tree lights, ("Lord, let your Light brighten this house this day."), opening the front door to guests, ("Lord, we open our house and our hearts to the gifts you bring us.").
Even as we encounter strangers, we can remember that each person is our sister or brother because Jesus has brought us all into relationship as God’s children.
May every family experience the blessings of God’s love in Jesus during this holy season and may we extend the love of our families to the whole human family in the year to come!
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