Holy Family: Growing in Strength and Wisdom

Holy Family: Growing in Strength and Wisdom

We all come from somewhere and the “where” we come from and the people that brought us up affect us by shaping our world view.  My mother and father shaped my world view. My father was very adamant that whatever I would do with my life, it would have to be about giving back. He hoped that I would find work in the government - to help others.  My mom was more of what went on in my “insides.”  She would ask questions and if she didn’t get what she wanted to know, she’d ask my friends and put “2 and 2 together.”  I think early on that I realized that I couldn’t really fool my parents and so rather than fighting them, I decided to do good things for others. They encouraged me in my music, swimming, drama, academics and other things.  Looking back my household was nourishing and affirming…although I confess that as a young person the one thing I wanted to do was to ESCAPE my home. I went off to grad school and thought I was going to go on my own path but eventually the world view that my parents impressed upon me got me thinking about what I really wanted to do with my life. Much to their surprise, I decided to prepare for priesthood…but that’s another story. I’m making this point to say that our history - that is to say, our culture, home traditions, and most importantly our relationships have a hand in shaping our lives.  Of course we will have other influences or will have something big that might change our lives forever, but mostly, as we get older we naturally integrate other people’s experiences into our own experiences, and as a consequence, our world grows bigger and our horizons are expanded and we become more self-aware. We grow in strength and wisdom.

In today’s gospel we hear the prophet Simeon say that Jesus would grow in strength and wisdom when he returned to Nazareth. He said that whatever this child will be, he will be a sign of contradiction to the world around him.  So in the spirit of the Feast of the Holy Family, I want to explore more deeply the process of Jesus’ world view as shaped by his family and society.

The doctrine of the Incarnation does not stop at the birth of the savior. Implicated in the doctrine of the Incarnation is the concept of human maturity. So…yes, God took on human form being born in our likeness, equal to us in all things but sin. And yes, Jesus grew in strength and wisdom when he returned to Nazareth with his parents. This leads us to ask, what could have been in Jesus’ experience in growing up that led him to be who the man we know from the Gospels? Let’s look at Jesus’ neighborhood and what might have set him in his ministerial trajectory.

Nazareth was a small agricultural village in the heart of the Galilee region.  Nazareth was a trades village as there were no trade routes and other than workers themselves, the town had no economic importance.  Jesus grew up in this village loosely networked to other villages who had similar populations ranging from 200 people to 1,200 people. What Galileans treasured above all things were relationships and kinship. The people needed to connect with each other out of survival. Multiple families typically lived together under one roof. People didn’t live independently from each other. Everyone had to work together to make it. 

Galilee was a part of the Palestinian territory that had been captured under the Roman flag and was now a part of the Roman Empire.  This empire was held together by the Roman sense of social order, the “Pax Romana” or “Roman Peace.” People living in Roman territories were far more interested in maintaining peace through order than they were for maintaining liberty and justice for all. People did not rebel but rather put up with the constant state of vigilance and the threat of violence when anything threatened the order. 

We have a slight sense that Jesus was not going to go along with Pax Romana. Simeon’s prophecy, “Behold, this child is destined  for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted…” indicates that the Christ will eventually initiate a new movement critical of Pax Romana. Christ would effect in all those who surround him a new way of seeing the world and a new way of seeking solutions to maintain order.  Pax Romana was grounded in violence: invasion, colonialism, paternalism, bribery, extortion and execution of enemies.  The peace of Christ contradicts Pax Romana.  Pax Romana results in locking people up - even if they didn’t do anything because they MIGHT commit a crime. Pax Romana silences voices of dissent through discrediting anyone who might disagree with the status quo or even disappearing rabble rousers. Pax Romana imposes curfews and restricts movements. Pax Romana can be a government or a cartel or a police force. Whenever and wherever people are oppressed and are not free, you will see the banner of Pax Romana.    

Unlike Pax Romana that reveals nothing other than strength and force, the movement of the Messiah, reveals the human heart.  Those who will follow the Messiah will be those who are willing to disclose their hearts to others.  We who follow the Messiah are willing to resolve our conflicts with love, not force.  We will be willing to forgive and let go rather than being driven by a desire to prove someone wrong. When we pursue justice we do it because we cannot bear the suffering of others because when our neighbor suffers and when we do nothing, our humanity is diminished.  We must confront the sorrowful and correct the conditions that led to such pain.

On this feast of Holy Family, let’s look at the family of Jesus…starting with Mary. In the previous chapter Mary says, “(God) has shown might with his arm, dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart. He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones but lifted up the lowly. The hungry he has filled with good things; the rich he has sent away empty…”  If this is Mary praising God with such a powerful prophetic vision, one can only imagine the types of conversations that Mary, Joseph and Jesus had around their meals!  Mary’s preaching clearly formed her child’s growth and wisdom.

We have an incredible opportunity to reflect on the power of community and family today.  Like Abraham, we are an immigrant community that walks by faith.  We like the Jesus live in a society in which 1% own over one-half of all the wealth in the country. Like families in Galilee who lived together under one roof with other family members - cousins - with each of the children calling each other “sister” or “brother,” our communities live in similar if not identical arrangements.  Jesus emerged from this world and from his family to eventually preach about community, reconciliation and working for the common good. We too have the potential of raising up many prophetic people in our midst. Change can happen…change WILL happen here!  So let this feast of the Holy Family be a feast of EMPOWERMENT for us to continue our walk guided by the vision of the Christ who leads us to the Promised Land of Justice and Equality.