We are accustomed to hearing about different types of families: blended families, broken families, happy families, etc. Today is when we hear about and celebrate a Holy Family. It only takes a cursory glance over the programmes on television for the last couple of decades to see that functional families do not make for great ratings. The Simpsons we have to be one of the few to have a father and mother who are on their first marriage and despite all the challenges stay together. Although we know little of the early years of Jesus I think most people would be correct in guessing that they would have had financial, health and relational challenges. Jesus getting left behind during the visit to Jerusalem tells us that the family was holy but it wasn't perfect in terms of never having to face up to the challenges or ordinary people. This is why despite the exceptional individuals who made up the family unit we can still have the Holy Family as a model for our own families and strive to be loving, peaceful and forgiving after the example and teaching of the Lord. After all, his first human experiences of the Father's love would have been in the arms of Joseph and on the knee of Mary. It is easy, on occasion, to get cynical about families whether it is our own or in general. In this Year of Mercy there is a fresh opportunity to look anew with loving and compassionate eyes at our relations see in them the workings of grace.
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