A family without problems?

The Holy Family was not a family without problems. Mary and Joseph shared the condition of that disconcerting son, following him step by step in the revelation of his mystery. It is precisely because of this total availability that they deserve our admiration. It is not easy to know to have custody of the Son of God, to flee to Egypt, to return home and live in Nazareth, a village considered suburban for the Jews, to see Jesus grow in wisdom and grace, leading an ordinary life with no exceptional events up to his 30th birthday. 

In Nazareth, Joseph, Mary and Jesus lived day to day in a heroic way, so that the heroic becomes day to day and we too might imitate them in our daily lives. 

Joseph participated with his whole person in the work of the Redemption of the Son of Mary: he has given to God the substance of his tenderness and his heart, sacrificing his love. 

If we are parents due to marriage or fathers and mothers spiritually, the example of the Holy Family asks us to be ready for the sacrifice that makes life true. 

Mgr Francesco Follo

Paris, December 26, 2014 (Zenit.org)