Religion and Theology

The Holy Family are unique and so is their story, yet at the same time they are a model for any family. Their story is told in the Gospels, especially those of Matthew and Luke.

They obviously care for each other and trust each other and God and obey him as in Luke 1 v 38 where Mary places herself in Gods hands and Matthew 2 v 14 where Joseph obeys Gods instructions. They worship God and keep his commandments as when they present Jesus in the temple (Luke 2 v 21).

They are also an extraordinary family in that Jesus was extraordinary. At the same time they were ordinary and lived a very ordinary life, with Jesus learning hi s fathers trade .He obeyed his parents (Luke 2 v 51), but put his heavenly Father first ( Luke 2 v 29). He was born of a woman, but was the child of God and born without male intervention (Luke 1 v 35) and Joseph accepted this situation. They were told clearly that this was no ordinary child, as when Simeon prayed in the temple.( Luke 2 v 29-32) Like many other families, including my own, they had to deal with difficult times, as when they were forced to become refugees( Matthew 2 v 13 ff)

There ordinariness makes them just other families, but the extraordinary relationship each one had with God makes them very special indeed.

Joseph is a model for fatherhood in that he cared for his family. He wasnt afraid of responsibility or what others might say. He stuck by his promise to Mary even when he could have got out of it. He also was a man of God. Just as Mary was chosen so was he. The qualities of Joseph I would like to see in my own life are his willingness to listen to God, and his faithfulness and loyalty.

Like many other mothers Mary didnt always understand her son as at the Cana wedding (John 2 v 9), but she did stick with him to the end.(John 19 v 25) She loved and worried about him, but allowed him to life his own very special life.

There will never be again a family like this, and yet there are examples we can all choose  to live by.
Holy Family