Homily for the Feast of the Holy Family - Year C - Lk. 2:41-52

A Reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke:

" Now the parents of Jesus went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of 
the Passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up according 
to custom; and when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy 
Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, but 
supposing him to be in the company they went a day's journey, and they 
sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintances; and when they did not 
find him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking him. After three days they 
found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them 
and asking them questions; and all who heard him were amazed at his 
understanding and his answers. And when they saw him they were 
astonished; and his mother said to him, «Son, why have you treated us 
so? Behold, your father and I have been looking for you anxiously.» And 
he said to them, «How is it that you sought me? Did you not know that I 
must be in my Father's house?» And they did not understand the saying 
which he spoke to them. And he went down with them and came to Nazareth, 
and was obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her 
heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature, and in favor with 
God and man. "

Homily:

A few days ago, we celebrated the Birth of the Savior, the Lord Jesus 
Christ. Today, on the Sunday of the Octave of the Nativity, the Church 
invites us to honor the three people who make up the Holy Family: Jesus, 
Mary, and Joseph. The birth of the Savior of the world is a true 
mystery, that of the Child-God, conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of a 
Virgin: Mary. Consequently, there is no doubt that the Holy Family is 
not like other families, but that it too is a mystery. Moreover, is not 
every family a mystery? Is not the union of two individuals, a man and a 
woman, for the purpose of the generation of children in love, a mystery?

All men and women, whoever they may be, are individuals: each person has 
something in himself that belongs to him alone, and which is impossible 
for him to communicate to anyone else - anyone else other that God, the 
Creator of all things. Consequently, no union between two individuals, 
in this case a man and a woman, can truly exist without if something 
mysterious, acting as a solvent or a catalyst, facilitates the union 
between the man and woman. This mysterious "something" is the child whom 
they have the intention to procreate together, the child whose soul will 
be created by God himself in His image and likeness.

This mysterious something linked to the child is, intrinsically, a 
spiritual, invisible, and undetectable element... But, one fine day, 
that which is spiritual takes form and manifests itself, for the child is 
not a pure spirit: he, like his father and mother, has both a soul and a 
body. So, the mystery begins to be revealed, little by little... The 
more the family is united in love and in the grace of God, the more 
astounding the mystery will be as it reveals itself, for it will be 
greater, deeper, and more splendid! In the case of the Holy Family, 
there is no doubt that this mystery will be the greatest it can ever be. 
But given that this is so, one must not be astonished if this mystery 
cannot be explained in a humanly comprehensible way. This was the case 
when Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem: "The boy Jesus stayed behind in 
Jerusalem. His parents did not know it."

Three days! Joseph and Mary sought Jesus for three days! These three 
days were endless for them, they hardly ate anything and had very little 
sleep... What parents would have undergone these three days any 
differently? Truly, these were the Holy Family's three most difficult 
days: of course, this was a great trial for Joseph and Mary, but so was 
it for Jesus himself, who knew very well everything that his parents had 
to endure... These three days remind us of three others: the three 
days, according to Jewish reckoning, between the Death and the 
Resurrection of the Lord, three more days of trials... for Mary.

Once the Child-Jesus was found in the Temple, with the teachers, Mary 
could not keep herself from reproaching him: "Son, why have you treated 
us so? Behold, your father and I have been looking for you anxiously." 
This is understandable. Any parents, even those powerfully aided by the 
grace of God, as were Joseph and Mary, would have acted in the same way 
upon finding a son who had left them for a time. But, although Joseph 
and Mary questioned their child with the greatest tenderness, which is 
something very meritorious, considering the circumstances, it served no 
purpose: they did not understand Jesus' reply: "And they did not 
understand the saying which he spoke to them."

This was the holiest of families: Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. And yet the 
parents are unable to completely understand their child! The mystery 
remains! Why? Quite simply because there is, in any family, an image of 
the Most Holy Trinity: whether it be a father and a mother who have one 
child or more (or whether they simply intend to have children), all of 
these people are called to realize with each other, on earth, what the 
Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit live in heaven for all eternity...

This incident had a happy ending! But how rich in teaching it is for 
everyone! Firstly, for Mary: "His mother kept all these things in her 
heart." And then for Joseph. Joseph does not say anything: the 
evangelist does not tell us what he might have said. But he understood 
very well that all of this was done primarily for him. For Joseph was to 
die before Jesus began his public life, and this event in the life of 
Jesus, in full possession of his reason and intelligence, was the only 
one that Joseph was granted to live here on earth, as he awaited the 
promised redemption...

May we share a little in the mystery of the Holy Family! Let us ask for 
this favor and grace during today's Eucharist: that we, through Mary, 
may one day live what Joseph contemplated once in his life!

Canon Dr. Daniel Meynen

http://meynen.homily-service.net/

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