reflections for the feast of the holy family

"He went with them to Nazareth,and was obedient to them... And Jesus advanced in wisdom and age and favor before God and men."

Jesus was true God and true man. As true God, his birth was accompanied by wonders. As true man, he had to submit himself to the discipline of Nazareth where he, like anyone of us, must learn godly and human values.

Our age has witnessed what the world takes pride in as great technological progress. These 'great technological progress" which has invaded our homes, if not handled properly, can work against gospel values. When families, for instance, do not have time to be together in order to give way to the computer, TV and/or cellphones, they definitely lose something very precious, especially in terms of imparting values to children. It is during the time when they are together, interacting with one another, that children are able to witness the love of their parents for one another and for them, their children. The home is the first school of charity. It was in Nazareth that the child Jesus learned the virtues of his Mother and foster father, He effectively carried out his mission of love equipped with the tools he learned in Nazareth.

God put us in the context of the family so that in the early beginnings of life we may learn especially the one reality that none of us cannot live without. It is the one reality that makes every moment of our lives worth living. When we know that we are possessed of that which gives birth to other virtues in our hearts, we are more than conquerors and kings. After all, we have love indelibly etched in our hearts. Love, who according to John, is God.