A friend and I were talking on the playground after Mass the other day. During the conversation I was struck with the thought that one of the reasons that Jesus came into a family was because He knew that the day would come when the family was in a desperate crisis and we would need an example that is undeniably Divine.
In the
hidden life of Jesus, Mary and Joseph in Nazareth, we have been given a model
to follow if our families are to find peace.
Theirs was a simple, quiet
life. They did not know the addiction
of entertainment or of noise to distract them from their own emptiness. They were not empty. And yet, neither were they grand in the eyes
of the world. They did not believe the
lie that a person must achieve fame or power or notoriety to have a meaningful
or “successful” life. In their simple
ways of living, in the work of their hands, the sweat of their brows, and the
love in their hearts all directed toward the good of each other, they found
fulfillment and peace.
They were poor. And yet, even this did not shake their peace
for they did not believe the lie that happiness only comes with money. They not only bore their poverty, they loved
their poverty because they saw how pleasing it was to God and how much freedom
it gave them to do what was right. They
embraced the teaching of Our Lord before He taught it in time – “Blessed are
the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
They worked hard. And yet, even the bone weariness at the end
of a long day of working wood, or wool, or weeding did not take away from their
peace. They loved their work. It was not easy, but it was human, dignified
work that brings with it the reward not only of providing money for the family
but also of the satisfaction of something beautiful resulting from the work of
one’s hands. They did not believe the
lie that a life of undisturbed leisure and uninterrupted idleness is the only
way to happiness. They knew the
goodness of work and they embraced it.
There are a thousand more virtues I could extol
about the Holy Family of Nazareth and maybe over the course of time I
will. But allow me to extol one more
and I will be done.
The Holy Family of Nazareth spent
their life together. Joseph’s
shop was quite literally attached to the house, opposite Mary’s kitchen. His commute was through the door. Mary and the child Jesus could see him
toiling for them. They could see the
sweat dripping from his face and arms.
They could see the care with which he shaped his wood. They saw him pouring himself out for
them.
Mary cooked and cleaned and spun
and wove right there at home. And by
her thrift and her labor and the skilled work of her hands she did her share to
care for and provide for the family and for the poor in their midst. Joseph could see her pouring out herself for
him and for Jesus. He saw the care that
she took in preparing the meals, in keeping the house just so. He saw her carrying water from the well and
weeding the garden. He saw her
skillfully carding the wool and spinning it and weaving it.
And Jesus. He saw both of His parents spending
themselves for love of Him. He could
have become a rabbi. But that would
have meant leaving home. Becoming a
disciple of a rabbi would have been the end of his regular contact with Mary
and Joseph. Instead, the Eternal Son of
God chose to remain with His family.
He chose Joseph and Mary to be His teachers. He chose to apprentice His
foster-father and become a master carpenter.
By casting off the lies that fill
so many minds and hearts today, the Holy Family had the freedom to be a
family. In turning their back on
notoriety, noise, riches, and idleness they gained the freedom to be
together. Jesus was not out with His
friends all the time. He was not always
at school or soccer or harp lessons or any other extra-curricular – He was home
with His Mother and father.
And this lack of a “social life”
did not stunt His growth. The
Scriptures say that, “the Child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom and
the favor of God was upon Him” and a little later that, “Jesus increased in
wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God and man.” He flourished under the loving care
of His parents. They knew what was best
for Him and He obeyed them. Desiring
wisdom, the Incarnate Wisdom sat at the feet of a “lowly handmaid” and a
carpenter.
The lies that this Family rejected
are ripping our modern families to shreds.
How long will we listen to that voice, issuing from the pits of hell,
that convinces us that we will find our happiness in fame, in distractions, in
pleasure, in riches, in flurried activity?
How long will we listen to the lies that say that we are robbing our
children of their childhood by keeping them from a thousand activities that surround
them with opportunities to lose their innocence? How long will we let the lie that frenetic
activity brings happiness fill their ears and ours? How long will we let those lies tell us that a bigger house, a
nicer car, or a bigger paycheck is worth abandoning our families for 50, 60, 70
hours a week?
There is very little reason that
you should listen to a fool like me.
I’m not asking you to listen to me.
I’m asking you to listen to them. Close your ears to the lies.
Turn off the television, the movies, the radio, the computer, throw away
the magazines and the newspapers and the child psychology books that fill your
home and your hearts with lies.
If you would find peace and true
happiness that lasts for eternity for you and for your loved ones, then turn
away from the lies and look to Nazareth.
