Readings: 1 Samuel 1:20-22,24-28, Ps. 84:2-3,5-6,9-10, 1 John 3:1-2,21-24, Luke 2:41-52
“I am the woman standing in your presence, praying to the Lord. For this child, I prayed, and the Lord granted me the petition I made to him. Therefore, I have lent him to the Lord; as long as he lives, he is lent to the Lord.” (1 Samuel 1:26-28)
The Christmas holiday has provided family members with an opportunity to gather together. As such, there is no better time to talk about the family. Today, the last Sunday of the year, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Today’s readings contain many lessons we can apply to make our families holy.
1. What Makes a Family Holy is God’s Presence
What makes a family holy is not its perfect conditions. Rather, it is its dedication to God. Hence, on a day we celebrate the Solemnity of the Holy Family, the church draws us to reflect on Elkanah’s family. Unlike Joseph, Elkanah was married to two wives, Hannah and Peninnah. His home was not very peaceful because of the rivalry among the wives. However, Elkanah’s family remains holy because they made God the centre of their home.
In 1 Samuel 1:3-5, we read: “Now Elkanah used to go up year by year from his city to worship and to sacrifice to the Lord of hosts at Shiloh… On the day Elkanah sacrificed, he would give portions to Peninnah, his wife and all her sons and daughters; although he loved Hannah, he would give Hannah only one portion.” It was after the sacrifice on one such occasion that Hannah, a prayer warrior, stayed behind to pray and even made a vow to God for the gift of a child.
Elkanah’s family teaches us that even though our families may not look like those of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, they can also be holy. As we have noted, what makes a family holy is not its perfect conditions but its dedication to God.
2. Bring Family to Church and Church to Family
When God answered her prayer, Hannah did not forget God. She fulfilled her vow by bringing Samuel to the temple, where he would remain for the rest of his life. Do we remember to fulfil our vows to God?
Samuel was also Elkanah’s child, but we notice that Elkanah did not oppose Hannah’s decision to dedicate Samuel to God because he was aware of her vow and was also a God-fearing man. Even the young Samuel, who had just been weaned, did not complain or try to escape from the temple to return home because Hannah had trained him to love and fear God. When we consider how a family comports itself in Church, we can tell how close they are to God at home. Dear families, are you in Church today out of compulsion (to compete or look good to others) or because you truly value God?
In today’s Gospel passage, Mary and Joseph brought the child Jesus to the temple in Jerusalem for the annual feast of Passover. Nowadays, some parents leave their children at home and come to church; some do not care about the clothes their children wear to church, and some do not even care that their children never enter the church but hang around outside. It is very sad that parents do not make an effort to bring their children to church for catechism classes but want them to receive the sacraments.
The family is the first church. They say the best time to shape a piece of clay is when it is still wet. Apart from bringing our children to church, we must also bring the church to our families. Create family time for prayer, Bible study and Catechism. Engage your children in conversations about the Christian faith. We live in an information explosion age. The devil targets our children (as he did with Eve in the Garden of Eden), making them question traditional Biblical truths.
If we act as if religion is not important, our children will grow up without a personal relationship with God, and this is the beginning of a life of crisis. If, by our bad examples, we fail to teach God to our children, we set them up for destruction.
3. Never Leave Jesus Behind
We have noted above that “apart from bringing our children to church, we must also bring the church to our families.” The Sunday Ritual does not end when the Holy Mass is over. In other words, when the Mass ends, you shouldn’t rush back home like Mary and Joseph, assuming that Jesus is with you. You must ensure that you go home with Jesus.
Mary and Joseph went with Jesus to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover. When the ceremony ended, they got caught up with so many normal distractions that they left their twelve-year-old boy behind. When we enter our cars after Mass, we often look around to check if everyone is complete, but we forget to check if Jesus is with us. We forget to ask if we have learnt anything, made new resolutions or deepened our walk with God.
Things fall apart when Jesus does not follow us home. Remember that song: “When Jesus is in the family, happy home, happy home…” When we come to church, we must carry Jesus with us and allow Jesus to speak through our Family Bible Studies and share at home. When Mary and Joseph noticed that Jesus was not with them, they didn’t even sit down to rest till the next day. They immediately began a very tedious journey back to Jerusalem.
Dear friends, it is not too late if Jesus is not in your family. Start including Jesus in your daily conversations, and even when you play at home, make sure you are having fun with Jesus. Create an altar of prayer if you don’t have one. Get images and statutes of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Let them remind you that Jesus is always with you at home.
4. Let Love Reign in Your Family
The family is the oldest institution. God created the family when he said, “It is not good that the man (Adam) should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him” (Genesis 2:18). Family members are companions; they support and sacrifice for each other, help one another grow, and bring out the best in us. There could be misunderstandings among family members, but love always reigns supreme. This is what we find in today’s Gospel passage.
When Mary and Joseph found Jesus in the temple, Mary expressed her pain, but Jesus said: “How is it that you sought me? Did you not know I must be in my Father’s house?” This brings us to today’s Second Reading, where John says: “See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and so, we are… Beloved, we are God’s children now; it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he appears we shall be like him.” (1 John 3:1-2).
Jesus was happy to stay in the temple because He saw it as His Father’s House. Samuel gladly remained in the temple because he saw it as his father’s house. Do you see the church as your father’s house? Mary and Joseph did not understand what Jesus meant by his Father’s house but urged him to go home with them. Luke reports that Jesus was obedient to them, and He increased in wisdom and stature. Jesus willingly followed Mary and Joseph home because of the love in that family.
5. Let God’s Commandments Guide Your Family
In today’s Second Reading, St. John explains the implication of being children of God when he wrote: “We have confidence before God, and we receive from him whatever we ask because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.” (1 John 3:21-22). Every family has do’s and don’ts (written and unwritten codes). Without discipline, the family falls apart. The book of Proverbs says: “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6). The toughest yet most rewarding job on earth is human formation.
We know the economy is bad, but do not turn money into a god. While the school imparts knowledge, the family must impart morality. The commandments of God must become the written codes in our family. If you desire to feel God’s presence in your family, uphold God’s commandments and do what pleases God. St. John says: “All who keep his commandments abide in him, and he in them.” (1 John 3:24).
In conclusion, no perfect family exists, but every family can be holy. All families have unique challenges and difficulties. The family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph had their fair share of struggles. Regardless of our family challenges, we can be holy when we make God the centre of our families. Like Hannah, who cried and prayed for a son, let us exercise faith today and pray for and with our families. A family that prays together stays together.
Let us pray: Almighty, ever-living God, make our families holier daily. We ask this through Our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God forever and ever. Amen.
Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. May God’s abundant blessings be upon us all. (The Holy Family Liturgical Colour: White Bible Study: 1 Samuel 1:20-22, 24-28, Ps. 84:2-3,5-6,9-10, 1 John 3:1-2,21-24, Luke 2:41-52).
@Rev. Fr. Evaristus E. Abu