THE HOLY FAMILY OF JESUS, MARY, AND JOSEPH
27 DECEMBER 2020
In
the Gospel, the focus is on Jesus.
Joseph and Mary recognize their son as a gift to them. But they also regard him as a gift to God and
the community. That is why they present
him in the temple. Too poor to offer the
sacrifice of a lamb, they bring two young pigeons to signify the sacrifices
they will make to allow their child to grow up to do the will of his
Father.
Mary and
Joseph are not alone. They are joined by
Simeon and Anna. Inspired by the Holy
Spirit, Simeon speaks about the child in contrast to the silence of the
shepherds. He gives thanks to God that he has been blessed to live long enough
to see the Savior. He also speaks of the
mission of the Savior and the swords that will pierce his mother when her child
will allow himself to be sacrificed out of love. Anna is the old faithful widow who also gives
thanks.
We speak of our church as a
teaching church. The Sagrada Familia
Church in Spain can teach us about what it means to be a holy family. From a distance, the four main towers look
like giant sandcastles on the beach. But
as you get closer, you discover that they are spindle-shaped, mind-bending
masterpieces. Designed by Antoni Gaudi, it has been under construction for more
than 135 years. He labored over this
church for 43 years. During the last 12
years, he focused on nothing else. In a
real sense, he sacrificed his life to the project. He was killed in a streetcar accident in
1926, as he was walking to the job site.
Gaudi gave his all to God, or at least to the Holy Family, which is what
the Spanish phrase “Sagrada Familia” means.
The Church has recognized his holiness, and his cause is being
considered for canonization.
Except for
the interruption of work in 1936 during the Spanish Civil War, Gaudi’s church
has been under construction ever since.
Its architecture is ornamental and grand, filled with geometric shapes
and images plucked from nature. The next
step will be the completion of its final spire: a 550 foot high “Tower of
Jesus.” This Jesus Tower will join 17
other towers, named for the 12 apostles and the Virgin Mary. The Tower of Jesus is scheduled to be
completed by 2026, the 100th anniversary of Gaudi’s death.
Even though
Gaudi was the original architect of the Sagrada Familia, the work on his church
has continued for years by many others and will be completed by many more in
the next five years. That is why the
towers of the church include 12 apostles and four evangelists along with Joseph
and Mary. Like the construction of the
Sagrada Familia Church, our families are not alone in constructing “domestic
churches,” forming faith in the home.
Your active membership in this parish community of faith is important. Supported by the sacrifices made by this
parish community, families are constantly “under construction” with the help of
others.
We can
never compete with the holiness of the Holy Family of Nazareth. We know that our human families are not
without sin. Neither is our parish
family. Even with our faults and
weaknesses, we can be assured that this connection is necessary. At the heart of this connection is the Lord
Jesus, present even during this pandemic, when we have not been able to gather
socially to build our community in visible ways. Our eyes have been opened to the spirit and
courage and efforts of so many people. That
includes friends, relatives, teachers, coaches, colleagues, and mentors. Like the building of the church of Sagrada
Familia, the Lord will continue to be present in our efforts, no matter how
imperfect, to build a community of faith, rooted in the human family. With the presence of the Holy Spirit and
supported by many people, we can enter this New Year without fear to give of
ourselves freely, as Joseph and Mary did.
Like Antoni Gaudi, we can continue to make sacrifices to construct happy
and holy families. Even when we do not
see the results of our sacrifices now, they will endure into the future.
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