Homily Reflection: Feast of the Holy Family - Finding Nazareth

"Finding Nazareth"

The Roman Canon or Eucharistic Prayer 1 is sometimes a common prayer in the Christmas season. I’d like to start my reflection with parts of that prayer.

Remember, Lord, your servants and all gathered here, whose faith and devotion are known to you.

It then continues:

In communion with those whose memory we venerate, especially the glorious ever-Virgin Mary, Mother of our God and Lord, Jesus Christ, and blessed Joseph, her Spouse, your blessed Apostles and Martyrs, Peter and Paul, Andrew, James, John, Thomas, James, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Simon and Jude; Linus, Cletus, Clement, Sixtus, Cornelius, Cyprian, Lawrence, Chrysogonus, John and Paul, Cosmas and Damian and all your Saints;

Then in the ending of the preface:

Therefore, Lord, we pray: graciously accept this oblation of our service, that of your whole family; order our days in your peace …

It’s all about family: your servants and all that are gathered here; Jesus’ earthly family – Mary and Joseph; the family of apostles - Peter & Paul, Andrew, James, John, Thomas, James, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Simon and Jude; The fathers of the Church, the first popes who lead the church during persecution Linus, Cletus, Clement, Sixtus, Cornelius, Cyprian; Then there are the family of martyrs. These people are the everyday family of God of whom you may or may not have heard; the deacon Lawrence; soldiers Chrysongonus, John and Paul; and doctors Cosmas and Damian.

And there’s us, God’s whole family. As His adopted children, we pray “Lord order our days in your peace.”

It’s all about family. Like any family, this family lived lives in the world with problems, doubts, and hard times. But these saints surrender all to God in lives of love of God, prayer, faith, and devotion.

All the readings today speak of these things: Love of God, prayer, faith and devotion.

We read of these qualities in Abram. God fulfilled his promise to an old man and his wife giving them a child.

They are abundant in Mary and Joseph, who followed the covenant practices, bringing the infant Jesus to be dedicated at the temple.

We read of the love of God, prayer, faith, and devotion of Simeon and Anna who waited so long to see the Messiah. These two people, who had lived these qualities, recognized the messiah as an infant.

Love of God, prayer, faith and devotion by the Holy Family; Life should have been easy for them. Like every family, the Holy Family had difficulties. 

As modern people we tend to idealize the Holy Family by thinking of them only as the plaster statues in our Churches. But the truth is they were remarkably human. And one of the things that made them so remarkable is they were so unremarkable.

They weren’t rich and for most of their lives, none of them were influential. They lived in the world like us – working, trying to make sure there was food on the table, and dealing with everyday problems. And, this family did have problems; an unwed girl and a possible divorce for a young mother; a family of refugees, fleeing their own country to a foreign land; a family that leaves their young child in the big city, when he disappeared without telling anyone.

It was an unremarkable, mostly normal family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. A carpenter’s family, from a place called Nazareth; Nazareth, a place of everyday life, and everyday problems. Someone said nothing good comes from Nazareth.

But it was a place where a carpenter could offer his trade. It was a place where a mother kept her house and a little boy could grow into a man. It is where a family that heard God’s call lived a normal life; a holy family and, almost certainly, a happy family. It was a family that loved God and prayed with so much faith and devotion that they surrendered all to the will of God. The holy family's days were ordered by God’s peace.

Every saint in our prayer had a Nazareth. Every saint in our prayer had an everyday life and everyday problems and many times so much more. But, they followed the example set by the Holy Family. They loved God and prayed; and had so much faith and devotion to God that they surrendered all to the will of God. The days in their Nazareth were ordered by His peace.

Then there’s us – God’s whole family – His adopted children.

Each day we live in our own Nazareth. We live in the world with problems, doubts, and hard times. The same problems the saints lived with and same ones the Holy Family lived with. We live everyday lives. And someone said, nothing good comes from Nazareth.

Our own Nazareth makes us so unremarkably remarkable. What makes us remarkable is our love of God, prayer, faith and devotion. Our Nazareth (our lives) becomes a place ordered by His peace.

In our Nazareth, we become part of the Holy Family of our Lord; and that's good.