Today we celebrate the Holy Family, especially Mary and Joseph, who as good and faithful parents give their lives to protect and nurture Jesus. The home of Mary and Joseph in Nazareth becomes the place where the Eternal Word will "make his dwelling among us.” This home is certainly more than a building that becomes a “roof over his head”. The family home begins in the hearts of a mother and father who commit themselves to a way of love in faithful marriage. They take up the call of God to offer their lives in service to one another and to the children that God entrusts them with. They listen to the Word of God and find their joy and their nourishment in the Law of God. We see the qualities needed for this rich, committed relationship of love and respect in Paul’s letter to the Colossians, “Put on, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do. And over all these put on love, that is, the bond of perfection. And let the peace of Christ control your hearts, the peace into which you were also called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly…” (Col 3,12-16) Mary and Joseph truly create a space where the Word, Jesus, may dwell richly in them and with them.
In the gospel reading from Luke we see Mary and Joseph making the journey to the Temple in Jerusalem to comply with the Law and to make an offering of first-fruits, their first child, to God who has blessed them with this precious life. Jesus is redeemed through the offering of Mary and Joseph of two turtledoves and Jesus returns with them to the home at Nazareth. There in the home of Mary and Joseph he will learn what all children must learn in order to have a full and abundant life. He will learn wisdom - the wisdom of love that teaches us to lay down our lives for others and to forsake a selfish and self-centered life and truly be other-centered in our life; the wisdom of truth that comes from the Word of God and his beautiful law. As Paul says, “as in all wisdom you teach and admonish one another, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.” (Col 3,16) Through this wisdom Jesus will learn obedience to truth, faith and the authority of love.
The beautiful life of the Holy Family and the hidden peace of the home in Nazareth becomes a place where the Word Jesus may dwell peacefully and where he will be cherished, nurtured, grow to maturity and bear fruit. We pray through the Holy Family that all of our family homes may be such a place for God’s children to grow. Love, obedience to God’s Law, participation in the life of the Church and holy wisdom are all needed to make our homes true dwelling places for the Word of God, now dwelling in the hearts of our children. May God bless all families today as they strive to become true dwelling places of peace and shelters of love.