The value of family - a reflection on the Holy Family

Happy Christmas everyone!

Now before everyone goes to me and says, it's past Christmas Day... I know, but the season of Christmas runs till the end of Epiphany so I'm allowed to wish you all :)

With that out of the way, time to get into this weeks blog post.

For those who don't know, today is the feast day of the Holy Family- a celebration of the gift of Mary, Joseph and Jesus to us all and a time of thanks for the great work each of them did to ensure the faith remains alive and well in society, even in 2014.

Now I won't go into what Jesus did in this trinity - if you really want to know, go look it up in the four gospels in the Bible (for those playing at home, they're the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John). Let's just say he did a whole lot to ensure we are continually saved no matter what mistakes we make and for that we should always be eternally grateful.

Mary, well it was her yes that allowed God to give us the greatest gift of all, his son on this earth to teach and to save us from sin and provide ultimate mercy. She did this despite knowing full well she could be outcast, even put to death for being seen as not following the Jewish law of marriage before children and she did this knowing that she would have the biggest pressure of all being the mother for the Saviour of the world. Along the way, as we know from the bible, it wasn't easy- from losing her son for three days after he ran away, to having to watch in agony as her son was crucified to death - not to mention all the years in-between where family and friends would've been questioning her about her sons choice of life. Yet despite all the difficulties and challenges, Mary showed immense peace and always listened to God word. In this trinity, she is the one who helps us to have an example of how God can bring peace and joy to any situation, and she is the one who we see as the carer for us all, even some 2000 years later.

And then we come to Joseph. He's the forgotten one sometimes in this family- I mean he wasn't even Jesus' Dad technically- God was. He was more the caretaker dad while Jesus was on earth. But despite being forgotten by some, he's got a very important role to play in the story.

It was Joseph who gave Mary the courage to carry the son of God into the world, even though he knew very well the consequences of his decision. He trusted God entirely and while he was hesitant at first, once he heard the angel, he didn't think twice about being ostracized by his family and community, being forced to travel hundred of kilometres to escape persecution, to protect his family at every whim and sacrifice all he had, even to the point of running to Egypt. Joseph's courage and commitment to the cause I am sure gave hope and belief to Mary that she could do this, and through Joseph's openness to God, our Lord ensured that Joseph was ready at every step of the journey. For those who want a role model of Courage in God, Joseph is your man - never giving in to the challenges and always standing
up for the truth and for what mattered to him, his family, no matter the cost.

Now these descriptions are not meant to be historically or biblically correct, but rather are just my insights into what I see in each of these members of the Holy Family. They are however meant to show just how vital each part of the Holy family is.

In the same way the family we have today, whether they are blood related, faith related or friend related are just as important and follow the same sort of structure.

Each of them has a value of some sort and without them, there would be something missing in the vital cog that makes our lives what they are today.

During this Christmas season, I invite each one of you to spend time with your family and see what gifts and talents they may have. You might not have ever thought about this area of your relationship, but it's vital as doing so will allow you to see why they are important. It's an importance that allows you to be humble in life, to love others even when they annoy you and to see them as the Children God made them to be.

I wish you and all your family (whether they are blood related or related through friendship) a wonderful Christmas season and may you continue to inspire each other (even in the challenging times) towards a deeper relationship with God.

Till next time...