(Sunday, 27th December 2015)
Set your heart on the Father – (Luke 2:41-52)
The Ads of the TV these days coming up to Christmas often show the ideal family gathering together, fire lit, the table covered with scrumptious food and everyone getting on perfectly well together with smiles all round. This feel good image is often used to advertise a supermarket or department store with a view to boosting sales. The ideal perfect family is something that we all aspire to. However our gospel and our feast day today reminds us that there are few, if any, ‘perfect’ families. Every family, no matter where or who they are, has their own fair share of ups and downs. Often the family that seems to have it all together is the very one that has most problems!
It is comforting to know that even the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph had their own fair share of trials and tribulations. Mary gave birth in a poor lowly stable, Joseph had contemplated divorcing her informally, they had to flee into Egypt to escape the clutches of Herod, and in our gospel today, on the feast of the Holy Family we see every parents nightmare, their child Jesus is lost and they frantically search for three days until eventually they find him in the temple. We can just imagine the sense of relief, and maybe even anger with him for getting lost, that Mary and Joseph may have felt when they found him in the temple.
Amidst the trials and ups and downs the Holy Family had one thing that united them, one that kept them together and sustained them as a family. It is summed up by Jesus himself, ‘I must be about my Fathers business’. Collectively and individually their hearts were fixed on the Father.
Mary’s heart was fixed on the Father. For this reason she was chosen to be the Mother of God. Joseph’s heart was fixed on the Father. Through the gift of prayer the Father revealed to him to take Mary home as his wife and to escape to Egypt. Jesus’ heart was fixed on his Father from the very beginning of his earthly journey until that moment on the cross when he proclaimed ‘Father into your hands I commend my spirit’.
You may not belong to the perfect family. Your family may be plagued by problems, some in your family may not even be speaking to each other, you may not have the perfect relationship with your parents. Don’t give up hope. Put your trust and faith in God, fix your heart on God our Father through the gift of prayer and in the midst of the imperfections God your Father will bring you incredible blessings and the greatest healing in your family relationships. Always remember that God your Father wants to give you the kingdom! The more we strive to be about our Father’s business, the more the different elements of our lives fall into place.
As this new year approaches, make a decision to spend even a little more time each day with God in prayer. Set your heart on the Father. In doing so you too will grow in wisdom, in stature, and in favour with God and men.
Fr. Eamonn Bourke