This is a reflection on the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus , Mary , and Joseph on Sunday, December 29. We are made to believe — and rightly so — that their family is the ideal family. That is why, on the feast of the Holy Family , we pray that our families be sanctified and be modeled after their example. But I guess that if we seriously take Matthew’s account of the Holy Family ’s early days and years, we would probably not wish our families to be like theirs.
Imagine the threat of Herod’s evil order to kill young boys in Bethlehem, which forced Joseph and Mary to flee and travel for more or less 700 kilometers to Egypt. Think of it as a long walk — on foot (but hopefully with camel or donkey rides in between if they’re lucky enough) — from Vigan City in Ilocos Sur down to Naga City in Camarines Sur. Imagine the heat of day, the dark and lonely nights in the desert, the fear of being caught, and — on top of it all — the discomfort of bringing a newborn baby. And after spending some time in Egypt, they had to settle in a little town called Nazareth, which was looked down upon. To begin with, the very circumstance of Jesus’ birth is far from cute or romantic. According to Luke’s account, Joseph and Mary were rejected from inns that they had to settle in a very uncanny place: a manger. The Savior of humanity, the Creator of the heavens and the earth — God — who, out of love, became Man, was born in a very unloving and shitty predicament. Of course, today we know better. We should know better. We should know better: we should treat with dignity, love, and respect our poor and miserable sisters and brothers for God himself, like them, experienced rejection, discrimination, and violenc
Holy Family Jesus Mary Joseph Rejection Discrimination Violence Dignity Love Respect
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