Dreams are a thing in the Bible. Joseph in the Old Testament, famous for his coat of many colors, interpreted dreams and earned himself a place in Pharoah’s government. Daniel also interpreted dreams and worked for King Darius.
Joseph, Mary’s husband and father to Jesus, was no stranger to divine communication via dreams. When Jesus’ life was threatened by Herod, Joseph was told in a dream to rise and take the family to Egypt. He was obedient and he trusted. Despite having nowhere specific to go and no way of supporting himself or his family, he went in the dark of night. He did what any loving father would do, trusting that God would take care of them. And God did.
We see Joseph acting with complete trust in God. We imagine his fear for his family’s safety, his worry about the necessities of life, his awe at the instructions and their urgency. We wonder if he wondered about it. But we know he acted. We know Joseph embraced God’s perfect plan. In him we see a man who radically trusted God. We do not know if he initially struggled with what God asked of him; we only know he obeyed.
Whether we are man or woman, single or married, a parent or not, we can hold Joseph up as a model of trust and fidelity to God and his plan. When we struggle with what God asks of us, we can ask for intercession from St. Joseph. During this Christmas season, we can thank him for his obedience and docility. He played a quiet, yet important role in salvation history.
Merridith Frediani – Diocesan Publications
Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph | USCCB
On the feast of the Holy Family, it is tempting to compare our own families to the family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Luke’s narrative of the twelve-year-old Jesus in the temple is not a warning for parents to watch their children closely while traveling. The story looks forward to the time Jesus would be “lost” in the tomb after his crucifixion. Just as his parents found him on the third day, so Jesus would rise from the dead on the third day. And Jesus’ remark, “I must be in my Father’s house” (Lk 2:49) gives us a hint at who is Jesus’ family.
Luke was well aware that the Temple was considered God’s dwelling place. To call it his Father’s house showed that Jesus was the Son of God. Like Jesus, we call God our father, and like Jesus, we are part of a larger family than the one we live with.
But remember Jesus was 12 in this part of the gospel. His duty to God included being obedient to his parents. We, too, have a tension between obedience to our parents and following God’s call, a tension between taking care of our children and giving time to God’s children in the church and the community. Let us ask God to help us appreciate what our family obligations really are. Tom Schmidt, Diocesan Publications
Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph | USCCB
We are brothers and sisters of Jesus because we are children of his mother, Mary and his Father.
God has adopted us as his very own children and has forgiven us.
As a family, God has chosen us to allow the peace of Christ to control our hearts and so we should forgive our family members when they wrong us.
We are called to love our family in imitation of the Holy Family by….
¨ Being compassionate when they suffer
¨ Being kind in all the circumstances of family life
¨ Being humble even when you know you are right
¨ Being gentle and patient with their faults and failings
Let us always thank God for the gift of the Holy Family and our own.
Readings: Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph | USCCB
Mary and Joseph responded to the warning of the Angel of the Lord.
Their acceptance of the Infant Jesus immediately changed the circumstances of their lives.
They had to flee to Egypt to protect the King of the Universe.
Can we also flee from things that harm the Godliness within us?
Can we also listen to the guidance of the Spirit of the Lord in our lives?
