The Holy Family and their Village

Advent has ended and today we contemplate Jesus in the Temple. The yearly eighty-mile trip would take about three days as families were expected to travel each year to Jerusalem to participate in the feasts of Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles.

Jesus is twelve years old. It was at this age Jesus, Mary and Joseph went up to the temple in Jerusalem for Jesus’ first Passover. At the age of twelve, Jewish boys were considered to be at the beginning of their adulthood. The Holy Family would travel to Jerusalem with family and friends. Typically, men traveled in one group and women in the other and together the group would be safe and comfortable. The older children would move about from one group to the next and were watched by all. 

In preparation for Jesus’ first Passover, Jesus, Mary and Joseph’s home life would have centered on daily prayers, singing Psalms and reading Scriptures. Friday evening, they would gather for a meal, light Sabbath candles and pray a blessing over bread and wine to open the celebration of the Sabbath Holy day. Saturday morning, they would attend Sabbath services which would include reading from the Torah or Pentateuch and chanting psalms. A faith fun fact, every Jewish boy was required to memorize the first five books of the Torah (Hebrew bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy) by the age of thirteen plus remember and practice wise counsels found in the Book of Proverbs and the Book of Sirach.

Our faith culture two thousand years later finds us on our journey with family, community, Church, Religious Education, and Catholic school. As we participate in the celebration of Mass, welcoming one and all into our faith community where Jesus is front and center in our lives. A small example would be the second graders preparing for reconciliation. They and their families have been working on the Sacrament of Reconciliation in preparation for the Sacrament of the Eucharist. My small part was to help them prepare themselves once they entered the church. Demonstrating and practicing making the sign of the cross, genuflecting and prayerfully getting ready for reconciliation or readying themselves for the celebration of Mass.  

My point is this, it takes a Christian village to prepare our children for life experiences, the sacraments and for Jesus in the Mass. Jesus, Mary and Joseph along with family and friends helped each child and adult through prayer, words and deeds. Whatever our family make up, Mom or Dad or grandparents, as Christian role models we model through our prayer, words and deeds. At reconciliation practice, the parent(s) were with their children as role models, not only to support their child but to help them be Christ centered. Jesus, Mary and Joseph (Holy Family) shared family life just as we do. What helped them through it all was life centered on prayer from the manger to the Cross, to the Resurrection. You and I as family and friends and community of Christian faithful through prayer, have the Holy Family interceding for us to be Christ centered from our manger, to our cross and to our Resurrection. Jesus, Mary and Joseph pray for us...

Blessings,

Deacon Mark