Sermon Cloud

No matter what cultural background we come from, the Christmas season always seems to be a special time for family.  In many traditions, being together with family at Christmas is almost a given.  Perhaps this is why this time of year is most difficult for those who must be away from those they love, or for those who have lost loved ones and can no longer have them close by to participate in the various 'traditions' that we all observe during the holidays.

If we look around, we don't have to go far to see that families come in all shapes and sizes these days.  In addition to the traditional nuclear families of father-mother-children, there are all manner of extended and re-constituted families.  Many of us these days live in situations where there are single parents raising multiple children, or perhaps we have moved back home after having lived on our own for a while.  Perhaps elderly parents have moved in with their children.  Whatever the case, the variety of family unit structures these days seems to be almost as varied as there are circumstances.

Whatever the physical circumstances we may find ourselves in, our faith calls us to strive always to create and foster holy families, but how do we do this?  During his pontificate, John Paul II invited us on many occasions to strive for individual sanctity, and Benedict XVI in his turn has given us some concrete examples of how to grow in holiness, especially through his recent encyclical on the virtue of hope.  In fact, Benedict's message for the upcoming World Day of Peace which will be observed this week also calls us to recognize that we are all part of the human family, and that together we must build a community of peace.

Promoting peace and seeking hope in the midst of our families is not always an easy thing to do.  For many, our relationships with family members may be strained at the best of times, and yet the building blocks for strong, healthy family relationships are right before our eyes.

Saint Paul, writing to the Church at Colossae, reminded them as he reminds us today that we are all 'the beloved of God, called to be holy' (Col 3:12).  We practice holiness when we strive to be compassionate toward those who suffer, to treat others always with kindness, to accept praise as well as adversity with humility, and to be patient with ourselves and with others.  In order to do this, we must first have a strong relationship of faith established with our God, and be able to turn to Him in times of joy and celebration as well as in times of need.

Joseph himself must have been a man far ahead of his time.  At the very least, he must have given pause to many who knew him, and perhaps wondered at his motivations for doing the things he did.  Family structures in the time of Mary and Joseph of Nazareth were not quite the same as we know them here.  In many cases, marriages were pre-arranged by parents, often when the children were quite young, and the betrothal was in many ways more formal than any wedding ceremony ever could be.  In fact, there is no mention in the scriptures of Joseph and Mary's marriage ceremony.  We only know that Joseph took Mary into his home.

Scholars tell us that family structures of the day were very different from those we know now.  It was not uncommon for extended families to all live under one roof, so multiple generations of family units, including grandparents, parents, children, aunts, uncles, cousins and in some cases good friends would all be considered part of the family unit - perhaps not that differently from the modern-day Italian understanding of a paisano.

The father of the household, in this case Joseph, was responsible for the well being of all who lived in his family unit, therefore the references to him caring for Mary and the child Jesus, at the instruction of the angels is perhaps meant to show us how people of faith, even in that day, paid attention to divine promptings to guide them in their day to day lives (Mt 2:19-23).

Then as now, the family unit was a crucial building block for society.  The wisdom of Ben Sirach the sage reminds us (Si 3:2-6, 12-14) as it has guided countless generations before us to honour the relationships which are forged in our familial units.  Human beings learn valuable lessons about interacting with one another, about basic behaviors such as sharing, caring for one another, acceptance, love and even patience, all from those who are closest to us, our families.  In fact, I don't think I'd be too far off if I were to venture a credo that where these basics of life are lacking either because they have not been learned or practiced, the fabric of life is drastically changed, and happiness becomes ever more illusive.

This is the season for pondering, for reflection, for taking stock of who we are and where we're going in life.  What does my family structure look like?  Are there relationships that need to be healed?  How does my family challenge me to grow in my acceptance of my own humanity, in my acceptance of God's call for me to be holy?