While going upstairs from our dining room, I noticed that our notice board was congested… As I slowly move towards the board – oh, was delighted to see so many wedding cards, a couple of them on same day while others even three on a day! Felt happy for the long awaited dreams of love birds was finally getting realised after the pandemic.
Through the Sacrament of Matrimony, the bridal couple wish to model their family after the Life of Holy Family of Nazareth (Jesus, Mary and Joseph), the model for all families. The Holy Family speaks of/to the reality of every family. Christ must be at the centre of family life and this invites each member, of the family to be willing to set aside personal (selfish) desires in order to lovingly observe and serve the needs of others.
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The Holy Family is indeed a model of Love and Faithfulness. Be it faithfulness of Mary, Joseph or Jesus. Love for God was the cornerstone of the Holy Family. Their love for the Father and their desire to be faithful to him and to please him in all things was what also strengthened their love for each other.
From love flowed the virtues of obedience and acceptance. They accepted God’s unique, individual plan for each of their lives and were obedient to His call. Mary accepted God’s plan to be the mother of Jesus. Joseph accepted taking Mary into his home and was obedient to being the foster father of God’s son. Jesus accepted the will of his Father which was often a difficult road to follow but one he followed in obedience.
Accepting each other means without trying to change them! Just like the Holy Family, we are children of God. And we all have our own unique personalities. Similarly, God has a unique plan and purpose for each member of our family. So, not only do we need to accept God’s plan for our own life, but we need to accept that plan for others too.
God also wants us to honour each member of our family.. But, no matter what stage of life we are in, God is calling us to be patient and to honour our family members as an act of faithfulness to him.
The Holy Family models forgiveness. And forgiveness leads to love. In fact, Jesus was the prime model for forgiveness. For example, Jesus didn’t utter a single word in his defence against those who hurt him. Furthermore, he forgave those who put him to death. To forgive daily might be the hardest virtue to imitate. Because it’s all too easy to let a hurt fester and grow instead of choosing to forgive and let it go.
As a family, our goal should be to draw each other closer to Christ. And, what better way to do so than through prayer?
To emulate the Holy Family’s means of communicating, we also need to be present while communicating. We can look at each other in the eye when we speak; Putting aside our cell phones or an activity when someone is talking to us; And, basically just listen. To emphasize this point, on the Feast of the Holy Family, let us do what Pope Francis challenged all families: to put their cell phones away during family meal time (and otherwise) encouraging us to communicate just like the Holy Family did.
