Feast of the Holy Family
Summary of Fr. Gerry Creedon's homily December 27, 2009
The story is told about the beleaguered Irish woman with lots of children. She had no time to go to the mission in the parish. She sent her husband. When he returned she asked, "What did he preach about?"
He answered, "The Holy Family of Joseph, Mary and Jesus."
"What did he say about them?"
"That we should live in harmony like them."
She muttered, "Easy for her, her and her one!"
Sometimes the ideal family is presented by the clergy in ways that reveal our lack of awareness of the struggles of ordinary families. It is assumed that everybody has an intact family. Instead of referring to the 3,500 families that comprise St. Charles, I prefer the term households. It may capture a little of the diversity of family situations and lifestyles.
Yet God did come among us not as an isolated individual but as a member of a family that experienced some of the same tensions that all endure. The gospel story reminds me of a trip my own family made to the beach. At that time we only had 9 of the 14. My father had to leave us to attend a funeral. After some time we became aware that a brother was missing. We searched the sand dunes; we began to search the waves. A motorist picked him up on the road, where he had decided to follow his father home on foot. It was perhaps an early warning sign of a disability that would later manifest itself as schizophrenia. My mother could identify with the panic that beset Mary as she sought her son for three days.
We cannot expect our families to fit a pattern. We cannot erect exalted expectations that go beyond human reach. We need to celebrate the grace and mercy of the Lord as we are. This Christmas may be a struggle because of a separation, a sickness or alienation. Let us make peace where we can. Let us repair the gaps and let us also be reconciled to the irreconcilable.
