Faith, the Pillar Virtue for Every Family (Feast of the Holy Family, Year B)

Introduction

We celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph: a family of faith, love and hope; a family that is presented to us today for our inspiration and imitation. 

Reflection

In the scriptures, Abraham is presented to us as a father figure much known for his unflinching faith in God. He came to limelight in Genesis 12; and that is where his faith story began as he journeyed into an unknown land in obedience to the voice of God. From the Ur of Chaldeans, Abram went through Egypt. In Genesis 14, he moved further through the kingdoms of Shinar, Ellasar, Elam and many other kingdoms that engaged one another in fierce wars. His was a tough and arduous journey, harassed by marauders and citizens of those countries through which he journeyed. When the journey appeared to have become tougher, God appeared to him and spoke these words to him, “Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be great”. But at the time God made this promise, Abram had no legitimate child from Sarah. And this prompted him to ask God, “O Lord God, what will you give me for I am still childless…” The Lord brought Abram outside and told him to look towards heaven, count the stars and so shall his descendants be. Abram believed God and this was reckoned to him as righteousness (cf. Gen. 15:1-6). In Genesis 21, the Lord visited Sarah, Abram’s wife, and she conceived and bore a son who was named Isaac. Sarah was also a woman of faith: despite the fact that she had passed the age of childbearing, she nonetheless believed God just like her husband. 

In Abraham, we see a paragon of faith. First of all, he was told to leave his place of comfort into a country he does not know; he obeyed (cf. Gen. 12). Sarah too was a paragon of faith. Their lives were replete with crises amongst which is the crisis of childlessness: Sarah was well advanced in age but couldn't conceive. We are not told that they fought each other on account of their childlessness. We are not told that Abram beat up his wife Sarah because of her difficulty in conceiving. We are not told that he sent her parking because of her childlessness. We are not told that he refused to eat her food or that he gave in to drinking because of the crisis of childlessness. Despite the crises they faced, Abraham still trusted God. When God promised him descendants, he believed God and this was reckoned to him as righteousness. Of course, God later visited him and his wife Sarah and blessed them with a child. 

In the gospels, apart from Mary, we also encounter another father figure and a paragon of faith: St Joseph the husband of Mary. Which man would ever accept and believe a message from a dream, that his wife whose pregnancy he knows nothing about conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit? It is only a man of faith that can accept and believe that. Joseph accepted such message. From the time Mary conceived until the death of Herod, it was crisis upon crisis for Joseph and Mary. Despite the enigmatic circumstances that surrounded Mary’s pregnancy and childbearing, Joseph remained with Mary, fully accepted her as wife and discharged his duty as a father figure in the family. Together with Mary, Joseph took the child Jesus to the Temple for purification and presentation. In the temple, the old Simeon and Anna said certain things about the child Jesus which should have been a source of worry to Joseph and Mary: first, it was prophesied that Jesus was set for the fall and rising of many in Israel; again, it was said that on account of Jesus a sword would pierce the heart of Mary. Joseph was never perturbed: he carried out his parental responsibilities with all seriousness. No wonder the gospel passage of this feast ended with the statement that “the child Jesus grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him” (cf. Luke 2:40).

If families can become citadels of faith, homes will hardly be torn apart and marriages will less frequently hit the rocks no matter how turbulent and intense the crises may be. Parents and children, make your homes radiant with faith. Look up to the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph! Look up to the family of Abraham and Sarah! Imitate their faith! May they be your enduring and dependable companions! When fear, suspicion and mistrust set in, strive as much as you can to inspire faith in one another. If your home is suffused with faith, hope and love, holiness will be your destination.