The Feast of the Holy Family "Family Under Construction"
The Feast of the Holy Family “Family Under Construction”
The family life of Jesus seems so neat and clean. At least that it is the way it has been described in the scriptures. Probably that is the way it has been talked about in Christmas homilies throughout our lifetime. We are told the Holy Family consists of Joseph and Mary and one child, Jesus. Joseph is self-employed. Mary is a stay-at-home Mom. We only hear of one disagreement between the three of them which we have read about in the Gospel today. We have two people who never sinned. And then we have poor St. Joseph who had to live with them. If something went wrong in family life, guess who is presumed to be at fault?
We all know that our family lives are a lot more complex than that. What would we compare them to? Probably our family life could most accurately be said to be a work in progress. What might be a symbol of family life.
Perhaps we could use the church of Sagrada Familia (Church of the Holy Family) located in Barcelona, Spain. The building is a work in progress. Art critic Rainer Zerbst once said that it would be impossible to find a church building like Sagrada Familia in the history of art.
The building was commissioned by the Spiritual Association of St. Joseph in 1882. In the history of its construction there has been one unforeseen circumstance after another. The first complication happened at the very beginning. Francisco de Paula del Villar was the original architect. He envisioned a rather traditional Gothic church. He constructed the crypt of the cathedral in the first year. The building seemed well under way. But de Paula quarreled with those that had commissioned him. He resigned.
And then an architect took over by the name of Antonio Gaudi. The building became this artist’s life work. He wanted the building to be completely funded by private donations. Because of this Gaudi lived simply. Gaudi was a single man who dedicated himself to his work. As a young man he was a bit of a dandy with expensive tastes. As he went on in his life, he lived more austerely. He slept in a bed in his workshop. He was a workaholic. In 1926 he was hit by a streetcar outside the church. He was so motely looking people thought he was a street person. Today, has been nominated to become a saint. His church was a monument to the spiritual life.
The Church he started is of such scale that it is hard to imagine. His style is Gothic revival and Nouveau Modern. The church looks like a massive structure that is melting. The vision is for it to seat 14,000 people. Eighteen spires of different heights will pierce the sky representing the Apostles, Evangelists, Mary and Jesus. Statues cover the outside depicting various religious scenes including the nativity.
But what is most impressive is that the building has gone on for 140 years. The work continues even after Gaudi’s death. The construction has been affected by world wars, pandemics, depressions, but still goes forward. When will it end? No one knows. Gaudi did not seem to care that he would never finish his church.
Perhaps there can be no more apt symbol of family life. Family life today is very complicated. We all must adjust all the time. Sometimes an unexpected divorce takes place in the family. Other times it is a surprise pregnancy. We have family members who live together, who forgo marriage. Children are not baptized or educated in the faith. The family can look different from day-to-day and year to year. When we gather, we can point to the behaviors that family members engage in that we are uncomfortable with. We can play the ethical cop in our family, but many times this is counterproductive. Somehow, as Pope Francis has said, “We need to accompany people on their faith journey.” Our faith life is always being built. Hope is shown when we don’t panic, but we allow the construction of our family life to continue trusting that eventually the right blueprint will be found. As the letter of St. John says today, “We are all God’s children now, what we shall be, has not yet been revealed.” Can we let the searching in the lives of our loved ones go on?
Jesus family life was not as simple as we might think. In Jewish society, extended family took care of one another. In Jesus’ extended family there were orphans that needed care when parents would die of disease or violence. Sick family members could not go to the hospital so people like Joseph and Mary would have to care for elderly parents at home. The only safety net was family. We can bet that Jesus’ household was constantly in flux due to unforeseen circumstances.
On this Feast of the Holy Family, we remember a family like our family. A family that met day to day problems, knowing that God’s plan is always unfolding, an accepting, loving family. Being a part of a family requires living with hope trusting that God is rich in mercy, always ready to accept us as we are.
Reflection Questions:
- What most concerns me in my family life right now? Do I feel like I need to change someone’s behavior
- Have I ever felt rejected by my family? For what reason?
Dear Parishioners,
On the weekend of January 1st and 2nd, we celebrate two major feasts in succession. Saturday, we commemorate the Feast of the Solemnity of Mary. The next day we celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany. In years past we have had an open house to thank volunteers at the rectory but because of COVID we will forgo that party once more. The past week I have had a funeral for a person who died of COVID. I continually have people share with me stories of family members who are very ill or who have lingering effects because of COVID. I hate to keep talking about the same subject but feel I must. We need to stay vigilant. We may save a loved one’s life. Hopefully, next year we will be able to have a grand Epiphany Party.
I would like to welcome Debbie Petronagio as a full-time member of our parish staff. This past summer, Stephanie Hill left our employ to pursue another job. Debbie will continue to be our Director of Religious Education and she will also work part time in our office doing secretarial work. As we all have heard, it is difficult to find employees. We are pleased to have a person joining our office staff who has been a Catholic School teacher for many years. She knows how church happens and will be a person who has fresh ideas. I am sure all of you will find her very pleasant to deal with. When you see her, please welcome her to her new position.
May Our Lady and All the Angels and Saints watch over you this week.
Fr. Mark