What We Can Learn From The Holy Family

John Paul II described the family as “the vital cell of society.” The study of civilizations shows us that the rise of civilizations grows out of family life, and conversely, the collapse of civilizations also comes from the collapse of family life. In short, the family has the power to grow a healthy society or it has the ability to ruin society - it all depends if the family is centered on God's message or the world's message. Interestingly, the Fatima seer, Sister Lucia, wrote a letter to Father Caffarra in 1984 and indicated, "The final battle between the Lord and the kingdom of Satan will be about marriage and the family." The devil is hell-bent on twisting God's sacred economy. The family is a central component of God's creation as the family is an icon of the Most Holy Trinity, so it is no wonder demonic entities want to rupture the family. But, in the end, God and His family win.

Fittingly, God began the whole act of redemption through the Holy Family – and God continues his work of redemption through holy families here on earth.

This brings us to today as we celebrate the Feast of The Holy Family. We see in our readings that the Holy Family was obedient to God’s Old Covenant law. Although Joseph and Mary could have used the special situation and status of the Holy Family to excuse themselves from religious obligations, they nonetheless humble themselves to fulfill all the proper regulations of the Old Covenant and thereby express solidarity with the rest of Israel. Joseph and Mary also put a priority on worship, one of their first acts as a young family being to bring the child Jesus and “present” him before the Lord. By humbling themselves in obedience and placing a priority on worship, the Holy Family put themselves in a position to receive beautiful blessings and insight from Simeon and Anna, who were patiently waiting for them.

Here, we run into Simeon’s prophetic message for the Holy Family. First, he proclaims that his eyes have seen God’s salvation and that the baby will be a “light for revelation to the Gentiles and glory for Israel.” Then, he casts a shadow over the child’s future by describing how this child’s “light” will cause people to “rise and fall.” Jesus, as the Messiah, will draw a line in the sand of Israel, causing the nation to divide itself where one is either for Him or against Him (Matt. 12:30, Luke 20: 17-18, 1 Pet. 2:6-8). At first, the light (i.e. Christ) will bring turmoil to those in darkness (which is most people) as the light demands a taxing endeavor in which those in darkness let go of their way of thinking and conform their mind and will over to the light. Recall that Jesus said, "Do not think I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword." (Matthew 10: 34). This "sword" of Christ delivers the truth and at first, causes unrest and conflict in your soul much like a personal trainer at first needs to cause discomfort in your body to produce a healthy body.

The Blessed Mother also will receive a wound from a sword, as Simeon noted how “a sword will pierce” Mary’s soul. Rather than the sword being Christ's message, Mary's sword represents Christ's act of will to suffer for those in darkness. Here, Simeon gives us a glimpse of Calvary, when the rejection of Jesus by sinners will bear heavily on The Blessed Mother. This is one of the biblical passages that undergird the theology of Mary’s co-redemption. Not that she is equal with her divine Son in the work of redemption, but that she participated in that work in an entirely singular and unique way, co-suffering as she watched her holy Son rejected, humiliated, tortured, and killed.

On this Feast of the Holy Family, this warning of Simeon is an antidote to the temptation to sentimentalize this solemnity. The life of the Holy Family was not a comfortable experience where they were loved and honored by all, and they experienced no discomfort. They lived in poverty. They experienced bitter pain involving persecution, opposition, and death. With this, it is crucial to grasp our connection with Jesus will also include a “sword through the heart” in psychological, spiritual, and sometimes physical ways, as well. Yes, trying to live as a devout Catholic family in this world is incredibly challenging. It will produce frustration and a bit of persecution. But here we are, uniting our experience to that of the Holy Family.

Just like the Holy Family was centered in worship, God continues to wait for us in the place of worship. When we attend Mass and prayer, we encounter a God who has been “waiting for us” to show up, ready with a blessing to bestow on us. This message is by no means sentimental because suffering will come, and we will share the passion of Christ. Nonetheless, God waits for us with the encouragement we need if we show up and make our holy appointments—be that our weekly Mass obligation, our daily prayer time, and confession. If we do these holy appointments, much like Joseph and Mary, in humility and obedience, we will experience the news that Simeon gave. Indeed, Simeon’s prophetic message reverberates to us the light of the world has come. True, this doesn’t mean we will have it made in the shade, but within our battered lives, the family that stays true to the faith will experience peace amidst their times of trial.

Happy homes are the fruit of our faithfulness to the Lord. But the Feast of the Holy Family is inviting us to see more, to see how, through our family obligations and relationships, our families become heralds of the family of God that He wants to create on earth.