The hidden life of the Holy Family

In the Gospels, it says “Mary treasured these things in her heart.” Moms do that. They keep memories. Have you ever wondered what memories Mary treasured? We don’t know the hidden moments, but we can take guesses. Mary was a mom. I bet she told St. Anne about baby Jesus' first step. She and St. Joseph probably were thrilled when Jesus spoke his first word. Mary probably saved Jesus first lost tooth. I bet young Jesus asked lots and lots of questions to Joseph and Mary. When Jesus went to school, he probably had some schoolwork he brought home. I bet Mary saved some of it.

St. Joseph was a Jewish carpenter. I bet he taught young Jesus to tithe. As a carpenter, St. Joseph had to get his wood sourced. I bet he knew about trees and taught Jesus about the trees of the area. Jesus was very familiar with wood-the scent, the feel. Jesus grew intimately familiar with wood before he ever took up His Cross.

Mary probably went to the market to get her groceries. She would get food for St. Joseph and Jesus from the earnings of St. Joseph’s woodwork. Her grocery list would have included bread makings like flour and oil. They probably had olives and fish sometimes. They would have wine sometimes. Mary got to know what Jesus favorite meals were. She cooked for St. Joseph and probably tried to cook what he liked. Their hidden life must have looked very ordinary. One of my favorite pictures is Mary doing laundry.

Jesus probably made friends at school. He probably danced at celebrations. He probably learned Mary and Joseph’s family stories. Joseph and Mary probably had inside jokes and reminisced about their wedding day and all the friends who shared it with them. St. Anne could have babysat Jesus. St. Joseph changed baby Jesus diaper I am sure. When Joseph took Mary into his home, it probably was very sparse and had the feel of a bachelor pad. Joseph and Mary celebrated Jesus’ birthday, I am sure. They ate dinner together everyday. They went to the Temple together. St. Joseph probably also taught Jesus to pray. I bet St. Joseph liked music and brought fun to the family in the form of humor.

The holy family was very real. We just don’t get many details from the Gospels. The Gospels are a little like facebook in that they give just the extraordinary highlights and very little insight on daily life of the time. The family faced real danger and difficulties. They faced harsh travel conditions. They lived simply. St. Joseph’s feast just passed. He shared so many special moments in his life with Jesus and Mary. He was a very good man devoted to loving and protecting Jesus and Mary.

St. Joseph-pray for us!