Holy Family Homily - the Wisdom of God Learned

Often I hear people speak of what they perceive as threats to the faith, to the church, to God.  OHHH, it's secularism. OHHHH it’s those other religions. OHHHH it is the immorality of our world these days. OHHHH it is the Republicans, it's the Democrats, it’s this group or that group, it’s this idea and that idea.

Crazy.

Btw, often what people mean when they say this, is that the threat is to their own individual idea of faith, church and God.  And that is the “threat” if you will to faith… it is our own lack of depth, lack of understanding, our own lack of wisdom.

I hope this does not come across as too arrogant or prideful, but being Christian, being Catholic, our tradition and faith is amazing.  The depth that we have in our understanding of Jesus, and what he teaches and what he signifies is so full. There is so much to explore, navigate through and uncover; so much to show us the meaning of this world, our lives, all of reality.

Where does this need to begin? This exploration?

Look at what happens in our Gospel. Now, first understand that the Gospels are basically prequels to Jesus ministry. They foreshadow what will eventually be Jesus’ life. This story in particular has that at play; how long did it take Joseph and Mary to find the lost child? Three days, which hopefully sounds quite familiar.

Okay, so let’s get into this a bit more. Jesus ran away from home and stayed at the Temple. The Temple being where the Jewish People directly encountered God in the Holy of Holies. Jesus remains behind and asks questions of the learned men, the wisdom figures. He listens to them speak. Jesus gains knowledge and wisdom from the lessons he is taught.

Jesus then returns home with Mary and Joseph, and the Scripture is explicit; He grows in Wisdom and stature. His parents will share their faith, they will share the stories of the people with Jesus, and he will take it all in.  Stories like Hannah and Samuel; and of David and his descendants. He will learn from the Psalms and Proverbs that will be prayed and sung as a family. He will learn from Torah, the first five books, and repeat the story of the Exodus over and over; living it out each year.  He will essentially live out what it means to be Jewish boy, immersed in the tradition and wisdom of his people. It will never stop.

We tend to stop in our culture. We tend to treat our religion, our traditions, even our wisdom as subjects to be learned like we do calculus, grammar, biology. We have classes in our Catholic Schools and in our parishes.  This idea is not bad, in fact it can be good, but we stop when we think we have “Graduated.” Seldom do most of us go deeper, I mean really deeper and allow what we think we know to be challenged.

Sad.

What makes a family holy is not how well they follow the rules or the quantity of prayers; a holy family is one that truly immerses in the faith and live it.  They fight and they forgive. A holy family shows generosity amongst themselves and to others. They give respect to others. The Holy Family experiences the living God in doing what is right and just for the community; in their resilience in the face of adversity; in their joy in the face of great struggle. A family is holy In their unconditional love of each other, no matter the circumstances of life.

A holy family shares their faith with one another, their experience of God. Together, they mine the depth of the traditions and scripture; they encounter the message Jesus Christ, chew on it and understand the power it provides to live life more abundantly, more freely with more love!

Jesus reveals the incredible depth of meaning that can be experienced in life. Revealing that this life is meant to be lived; and yes there will be pain, but the pain does not own us. We can be in control.  Jesus revealed the wonder and fullness of life that comes with giving of ourselves to each other.  Jesus revealed the power of forgiveness and compassion.  All of which Jesus would have taken in through his listening, through the sharing of faith of not only his parents, but the extended family and the community around him. Through his scripture and rituals that engaged his imagination.

Imagine a parish family on fire with this same wisdom, with this same desire to grow and wrestle with God; with being comfortable in being uncomfortable with our faith.  This Family gathered here around the table could grow in amazing holiness.  If we are willing to ask the questions, listen and be patient.