2013-12-29
Daniel
Daring 2013
articles 2012 articles
The Feast of the Holy Family
Sirah
3:3-7.14-17; Colossians 3:12-21; Matthew 2:13-15.19-23
(Comments
welcome here)
A friend of mine gave
me a reprint of the Flight of the Holy Family into
Egypt
, a painting by Wu Yong Liang. Mary is holding the infant Jesus, riding a
donkey, while Joseph is on foot. The Coptic tradition indicates that the journey
was long and dangerous. They were often without shelter, food, and water,
relying on the generosity of strangers and divine assistance: a palm tree bowed
down and offered them its dates; a tree opened up to hide them from thieves; the
infant Jesus brought forth springs in the middle of the desert. Whether it
happened as depicted no one knows; whether the trip actually took place is also
debated. But there is a message for us that can be learned from this flight.
Fighting
for life
The Gospel of Matthew is built on
comparison and contrast between
Israel
- Moses in particular - and Jesus. As Jacob and his sons went to
Egypt
so did Jesus' family. As Moses was threatened by Pharaoh's edict, “Every boy
that is born to the Hebrews you shall throw into the
Nile
, but you shall let every girl live,” (Exodus
1:22
), so Jesus barely escaped Herod's orders “to kill all the boys in
Bethlehem
and its vicinity” (Matthew
2:16
). The comparison continues with
Israel
and Jesus being tested in the wilderness (Exodus
15:22
-17:7; Matthew 4:1-11), and with Moses giving the Ten Commandments (Exodus
20:1-21) and Jesus the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-11). However, unlike
Israel
, which failed to become God's chosen servant and the light to the nations,
Jesus proved himself to be the faithful servant of God and the light of the
world. Moreover, whereas in the Exodus story God is punishing Pharaoh for his
crimes against the Hebrews, Herod was spared a violent death and it was Jesus
who died on the cross for the salvation of all.
Bringing
this comparison to the context of family, we applaud the mother of Moses for the
way she tried to save her son (Exodus 2:1-10) and we admire Joseph for taking
his dreams seriously and thwarting the plans of Herod (Matthew 2:13-23). And we
can sense that whether indirectly, through the wit of the mother, or directly,
through the intervention of an angel, God was working a miracle in the lives of
those two families.
Our
“Herods”
Aside from internal problems that
every family is facing, there are two major “Herods” that threaten the
existence of our families: our leaders and poverty. On
August 6, 1990
, the U.N. Security Council imposed economical sanctions on
Iraq
. In 1999, UNICEF assessed that the sanctions were responsible for the death of
half a million children under five. Confronted with this data, on
May 10, 1996
Madeleine Albright (the
US
Ambassador to the United Nations) said: “We think the price is worth of it”
(See: Iraq Sanctions, Wikipidia). Since “the price” - whatever it is - is
still worth of it, sanctions
continue to be imposed against many nations disregarding tragic consequences. On
the local level, nobody plays the Herod's role better than military juntas. We
probably will never be able to know the scale of tragedies that have happened in
Burma
and many parts of
Africa
: entire tribes leaving their lands, children forced to join the army,
separation of parents and children, child labor, and much more. The only option
left is to run for life. Like Joseph, many families are leaving their homes in
the middle of the night for neighboring countries.
Poverty is the second factor
threatening the stability of our families. According to Philippine Overseas
Employment Administration (POEA), in 2006 there were over one million Filipinos
working abroad. The top destination is
Saudi Arabia
and the top occupation is domestic helper. Two-thirds of all overseas workers
are women. This has a great impact on a family: separation, absent mother and/or
father, extramarital affairs and even, in some cases, a 'second family' abroad.
And it is all due to the economic crisis of the country. The Filipino Overseas
Workers are held by the government as heroes. But I doubt if they desire that
kind of flattery. They would rather stay at home with their loved ones, and earn
a decent living in their own country, instead of putting their families in
jeopardy and risking their health and often their lives for “the price” that
is often not worth it.
And yet, despite all the threats,
the family continues to be the fundamental social group in our society, thanks
to many brave women and men, who decide to journey together through life.
Whether in
Iraq
invaded and devastated by the coalition of the willing, or in
Myanmar
systematically destroyed by its own government, or in the
Philippines
plagued by graft and corruption, mothers and fathers continue to outsmart our
“Herods” and fight for a better future of their children. And God is on
their side.
Conclusion
The exodus of the Holy Family ends
with Joseph, taking the child and his mother, settling down in
Nazareth
(Matthew
2:23
). Let me then close this reflection with the words of Paul VI spoken in
Nazareth
on
January 5, 1964
: “May
Nazareth
serve as a model of what the family should be. May it show us the family’s
holy and enduring character and exemplify its basic function in society: a
community of love and sharing, beautiful for the problems it poses and the
rewards it brings, in sum, the perfect setting for rearing children – and for
this there is no substitute.”
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