Praised be Jesus, Mary, and
Joseph!
Jesus became man in order to
destroy the works of the devil. That the demons know this is shown by the fact
that during exorcisms, they would greet Jesus with the words: “Have you come to
destroy us? We know who you are – you are the Holy One of God.” Thus, early on
in the Lord’s life on earth, the Evil one made attempts on the life of the Holy
Child. This he did through King Herod: “Herod is going to search for the child
to destroy him.” Herod, whose legitimacy as king is questionable because he was
not a descendant of David, felt that the birth of this new-born King threatened
the stability of his reign. The Light has come into the world and invites all
to step into his radiance…but Herod chose to remain in the dark. The darkness
of his mind was revealed when he commanded the massacre of all babies in
Bethlehem and its environs. The Light shines in the darkness and the darkness
did not overcome it…no matter what it does.
The darkness tried to overcome
the Light but just before it could happen, an angel of the Lord commanded St.
Joseph to rise and take the child and his mother to Egypt. God, who rules the
world with a mighty hand, humbled himself by submitting himself to the
protection of St. Joseph. He, who delivered the people of Israel from the
slavery of Egypt on the night of the Exodus, was delivered from the hands of
Herod and brought to Egypt in the middle of the night. Plagues did not come.
The Red Sea did not part. Their only
protection was the thick shadow of the night. Their only means of transport was
a donkey. Hastily brought by St. Joseph and the Virgin, God was running for his
life. The Son of God was born into a humble family to be protected by it.
Through His humble submission,
Jesus our Lord shows us that the Divine Life in us is protected by the
Christian family. “Whoever honors his father atones for sins and preserves
himself from them. When he prays, he is heard; he stores up riches who reveres
his mother.” In so far as the family maintains its Christian identity and lives
up to its calling to be salt and light of the world, the Divine life which
Baptism imparted to its members will always be secured. When heart-felt
compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, and mercy are practiced
in a family…when love which is the bond of perfection is lived in a family, the
Divine life will always be secured.
And by
remaining in the Divine Life, the family experiences joy. Pope Francis said: “Dear
families, you know very well that the true joy which we experience in the
family is not superficial; it does not come from material objects, from the
fact that everything seems to be going well... True joy comes from a
profound harmony between persons, something which we all feel in our hearts and
which makes us experience the beauty of togetherness, of mutual support along
life’s journey. But the basis of this feeling of deep joy is the presence
of God, the presence of God in the family and his love, which is welcoming,
merciful, and respectful towards all. And above all, a love which is
patient: patience is a virtue of God and he teaches us how to cultivate it in
family life, how to be patient, and lovingly so, with each other. To be patient
among ourselves. A patient love. God alone knows how to create harmony
from differences. But if God’s love is lacking, the family loses its
harmony, self-centeredness prevails and joy fades. But the family which
experiences the joy of faith communicates it naturally. Ibid. That family
is the salt of the earth and the light of the world, it is the leaven of
society as a whole.” (September 27, 2013)
Jesus, I trust in you. O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee
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