Archdiocese of Cardiff
Archesgobaeth Caerdydd
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Archdiocese of Cardiff |
Welcome
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Pastoral Letter for the Feast of the Holy Family Dear Brothers and Sisters, In celebrating Christmas, we celebrate that unique moment when God entered human history in the person of his Son, Jesus Christ, true God and true man. True God because he was the only begotten Son of the Father; true man because he chose to be born into a real human family to be raised by Mary and Joseph like any other child. The steadfast love which Mary and Joseph had for each other nurtured and sustained him as he grew from childhood to adulthood, allowing him to “increase in wisdom, in stature and in favour with God and men”, as St. Luke puts it in the Gospel passage we have just listened to. St. Luke’s account reveals with great clarity and perception the human reality of Jesus’ family, experiencing light and darkness, joy and sorrow. The circumstances of his birth were hardly ideal! Soon after Jesus was born, they had to seek refuge in a foreign land to avoid the massacre perpetrated by Herod, only returning to their homeland when Herod was dead. Then we hear nothing of that family life until the incident recounted by St. Luke in today’s Gospel, which caused terrible anxiety to his parents. Jesus, at the age of twelve, wanders off for three days in Jerusalem. Mary is distraught, at the end of her tether with worry. She roundly rebukes Jesus when she eventually finds him, and says to him with considerable annoyance: “My child, why have you done this to us? See how worried your father and I have been, looking for you.” We have only to reflect on our own experience of family life, or community life, to know that the way of humanity is the way both of pain and sorrow, as well as the way of joy and blessing. The life of the Holy Family was certainly no "bed of roses" either, because the Holy Family was, first and foremost, a human family. But the home of Jesus was nonetheless a ‘holy place’, a community and communion of life and love rooted firmly in a deep love of God, trust in God’s providence, and in the love of Mary and Joseph for each other and for the child Jesus. That loving relationship reflected in a very human way the unconditional love of the three persons of the Holy Trinity. Likewise, such love needs to be the basis of all our own human relationships too; within our natural families, in our parishes, in the wider family of the Church, and in society at large. Such genuine love is certainly not something to be confused with mere sentiment or romantic feelings. True love gives rise to very p ractical and tough demands, some of which are reflected in the reading from the Book of Ecclesiasticus which we have just listened to. True love requires us to respect and honour each other, show sympathy and kindness towards one another, and support those who are weak and fragile. In equally moving terms, St. Paul in his Letter to the Colossians spells out the values and attitudes which spring from such genuine love. He tells us that we “should be clothed with sincere compassion, in kindness and humility, gentleness and patience.” He tells us that we must “bear with one another, forgiving each other as soon as a quarrel begins.” He concludes by reminding us that, “Over all these clothes, to keep them together and complete them, put on love.” Today we have an opportunity to reflect on our own family and the community life of our parish family through the lens of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Especially today, a healthy family life needs deep faith, a firm hope and a generous love if it is to be sustained and if it is to grow. If we keep faith in God, Father, Son and Spirit, we will, like the Holy Family grow in wisdom and understanding and fulfil our vocation in life. We will not do it without difficulty and suffering, but we will be given the grace to bear whatever comes, knowing that Jesus walks every step of the way with us. And so in our own lives we will reflect the love, faithfulness and compassion of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. This is the perennial challenge of the Gospel. It is the challenge to live lives of authentic love, of genuine faith and of firm hope – and to do so more fully and with greater commitment day by day. We are called to be people of deep compassion and kindness, treating others with the respect and honour which is their due because they are images of God. In particular we need to give a new start to those families which have been broken and grievously wounded through separation or divorce. For these especially we must all have the greatest love, respect, gentleness and compassion. Let no one judge them. These are our brothers and sisters, deeply wounded and suffering. I urge you to welcome them within the community of the parish and the Church and help them to experience the life-giving love and compassion which will in time, please God, lead to healing and new life. +Peter Archbishop of Cardiff |