Reflection: The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph

Trust is the essential human orientation towards God

Holy Family depiction at Immaculate Conception Cathedral, Dili, East Timor. Photo: By Kok Leng Yeo/flickr.com CC BY 2.0

Holy Family depiction at Immaculate Conception Cathedral, Dili, East Timor. Photo: By Kok Leng Yeo/flickr.com CC BY 2.0

The first Sunday feast after Christmas is the celebration of the Holy Family. If the family is the place where we learn to be human by following the example of parents or elders, where we learn to love and forgive, then they probably had disagreements. Jesus was like us in all things except sin.

The readings have too powerful themes: the first is trust in God and the second is the strange way that God acts in choosing people for purposes known only to God.

Students of the bible are taught, I was taught, that salvation history in the bible begins with the call of Abraham by God in a dream. The first important point is that God takes the initiative in asking Abraham to cooperate with the plan he has in mind. Abraham is to become the father of many descendants yet Abraham was an old man and Sarah was beyond the age for giving birth to a child. This is where we learn that nothing is impossible to God. Sarah does have a child named Isaac, just the one child.

In the second reading from the letter to the Hebrews, the author is reflecting on the events which they knew so well. Abraham trusted God who invited him to set out to an unknown country, Sarah trusted God that what was said would happen. These are actions of trust at the limit, that nothing is impossible to God but the co-operation of Abraham and Sarah is required.

We immediately think of Mary, the mother of Jesus being asked by the angel Gabriel to participate in this extraordinary plan of salvation. She agrees because nothing is impossible for God.

Then God asks Abraham to sacrifice his only son even though promises had been made to him that he would have many descendants. This request places God in a bad light until deeper thinking demands us to understand that God made the birth of Isaac possible. If so, why would Isaac be taken away from Abraham and Sarah by Abraham’s own hand?

No God is not like that, he took the initiative. Some people think this makes God out to be monstrous yet, it is not so much about God who is trustworthy but about Abraham’s faithfulness to God. How far can he open his heart in trust and faithfulness?

This is a demanding and awkward scenario but we understand that God does great things only with people who say ‘yes’ unconditionally. God requires their assent. Then nothing is impossible for God.

Jesus was presented in the Temple and fulfilled the requirements of the law. We might see a parallel in having baptism of children at an early age. The point here is that Simeon and Anna are two ordinary but holy people who praise God for this child. A strong theme in the bible is that God chooses ordinary holy people to be key workers in plans for our salvation. The professionals, the Pharisees are there to run things but God chooses non-professionals for the breakthrough actions leading to life in God.

Columban Fr Gary Walker is currently living at the Columban house in Sandgate, Brisbane.

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