Jesus, Mary and Joseph prayed as a family

Jesus, Mary and Joseph prayed together, reading Torah passages and reciting the great ancient blessings. They said "shalom," which means "peace," to each other upon rising, at bedtime, before meals and while doing their work. They meant it not only as a protection from war and the granting of a quiet life, but also to call upon special well-being for their family, in true harmony with nature and with God.

When Jesus traveled the roads of Palestine, he drew on his personal family experience to tell parables. He borrowed from the realities of his village life elements that could nourish his preaching of the Good News: births, deaths, daily work, sowing seeds, harvests, figs, vines, sheep, etc.

Jesus neither idealized the family nor belittled it. He inaugurated a new type of human relationship, where humanity constitutes an immense family in which we experience love and forgiveness. He gave special attention to the humble, the weak, and the children, because these point to the Kingdom of God: "Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me." (Matthew 25:40).

Jacques Gautier (Canada)

Taken from Prions en Église Canada, Dec. 2015