Families under Duress

The Fourth Day of Christmas:  The Model Family: Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.  Today, the Sunday between Christmas and New Year's Day, is celebrated the feast of the Holy Family.  Mary and Joseph were under tremendous stress in the cave at Bethlehem.  Having to travel - I think it was around 100 miles - right before Mary's 'due date,' was in itself a big problem.  Not having a suitable place to deliver the child was another pressure, not to mention Mary having no female relatives to help, 'midwives.'  They were poor; poverty in itself is difficult to bear.  Yet, by their trust in God and each other, Mary and Joseph managed to bring Jesus, the Son of God, safely into the world.  We can't forget that Mary and Joseph were 'betrothed', engaged to be married, before the Angel appeared to Mary.  They already loved each other.  This was another factor in their success.

All of a sudden, they had to travel to Egypt to escape Herod's murdering soldiers, looking for their baby.  A foreign country!  Where would they live?  Would Joseph find work?  Could they risk joining a caravan or should they take their chances alone with thieves along the way?  Stress upon stress piled upon the new parents.

What about our own families?  What are our stresses and problems?  How do we tackle them?  Together?  In a loving way?  Do we pray together and ask God to help us?  Do we trust each other?

In his sermon in church this morning, Father Alan said there were no perfect families, that many of us in reality, neglected our loved ones in pursuit of keeping up with our neighbors.  Others may ignore their families, the ones who love them the most, due to various addictions.  Is this what we truly want for them?

If we keep our eyes on Jesus, his Mother, and his Father in our decisions everyday, we can't go wrong!  Lord God, we thank you for the gift of your parents as an example. Help us, we pray, in our dealings with our own families, imitate your Holy Family.