Weekly Reflection 12/27/2020

REFLECTION FOR 12-27-2020

Jesus, Mary, & Joseph are the holiest of families; but that doesn’t mean they didn’t have their struggles.

Imagine Joseph’s shock, grief, and anger when he discovered that Mary was pregnant before they were married.  But, Joseph was open to God’s presence in his life; so, when an angel appeared to him in a dream and told him not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife, Joseph married Mary.

Then, when Jesus was still very young, Joseph had another dream in which an angel told him to take Mary and Jesus into Egypt to save Jesus from King Herod.  Mary must have been confused, worried, and weary when Joseph woke her up and informed her that they needed to pack and start walking to a foreign country.  But, she trusted Joseph and believed that he would take care of her and Jesus.  So off they went.

And, Jesus did not always see eye-to-eye with his parents.  There was that time when Jesus was twelve and decided to stay behind in Jerusalem without his parents’ knowledge. When Mary & Joseph finally found Jesus three days later, Mary told Jesus he was coming back to Nazareth with them – and that’s what Jesus did. Then, there was the wedding feast in Cana when Mary wanted Jesus to fix the wine problem and Jesus told her that his time had not yet come.  In the end, Jesus fixed the wine problem.  He was a thirty-year old man, and he didn’t agree with his mother, but he still honored her wishes.

We are all part of a family, and we have all had our struggles within those families.  Sometimes we disagree, sometimes we are shocked, angry, confused, or worried by the circumstances that arise within our families.  At times like those, we would do well to remember the example of that holiest of families: turn to God in prayer and be open to where he leads us; consider the needs and feelings of each family member; love, respect, and trust each other; and no matter what – do what Mary tells you!