1
Sam, 1:11, 20-22. 24-28; 1 Jan 3:1-2, 21-24; Lk 2:41-52
Family is the place where everyone gets this comfort.
Wherever we travel; whatever we do we will return to the family for this
comfort. Everyone
finds his strength in his family. Family is
one of the greatest gifts and blessing from the Lord. Without family you cannot
feel love, care , satisfaction and happiness. They are the most treasured
blessing that no one can take away from us. Family is home, they are the ones
who gives you unconditional love. They are the people who comfort you at the
time of difficulties in life. They are the ones whom you can count on in times
of problems.
Today's First Reading from the First Book of Samuel
echoed the greatest desire of most families, especially that of the women, to
bear a child. Hannah, the wife of Elkanah, was without child. She fervently
prayed to the Lord, asking His blessing, promising in return to set before the
Lord her child to be.
The psalmist proclaimed: “Behold, children are a heritage
from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a
warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his
quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies
in the gate.” (Psalm 127:3-5)
Children are
the treasures of the family. And it is the responsibility of parents to spend
time with them. A little boy greets his father as he returns from work with a
question: “Daddy, how much do you make an hour?” The father is surprised and
says: “Look, son, not even your mother knows. Don’t bother me now, I’m tired.”
“But Daddy, just tell me please! How much do you make an hour?” the boy
insists. The father finally gives up and replies: “Twenty dollars.” “Okay,
Daddy,” the boy continues, “Could you loan me ten dollars?” The father yells at
him: “So that was the reason you asked how much I earn, right? Now, go to sleep
and don’t bother me anymore!” At night the father thinks over what he said and
starts feeling guilty. Maybe his son needed to buy something. Finally, he goes
to his son's room. “Are you asleep, son?” asks the father. “No, Daddy. Why?”
replies the boy. “Here's the money you asked for earlier,” the father said.
“Thanks, Daddy!” replies the boy and receives the money. The he reaches under
his pillow and brings out some more money. “Now I have enough! Now I have
twenty dollars!” says the boy to his father, “Daddy, could you sell me one hour
of your time?”
Now the
pressures of our job; the insecurity we have at the work place; the demands of
the society; personal problems; illness and a lot of other things keep us
always busy, and mostly away from the children. Children need their parents to
be with them, to play with them, to tell them stories and to comfort them when
they are troubled.
It is always
a busy day for any woman who is the mother of ten children. One day a little boy
was constantly on his mother’s heels no matter where she went. Whenever she
stopped to do something and turned back, she would trip over him. Several
times, she suggested fun activities to keep him occupied, but he innocently
smiled and said, “Oh, that’s all right, Mommy, I’d rather be in here with you.”
Then, he happily went wherever his mother went. After tripping on him for the
fifth time, she lost her temper and shouted at him. She said, “Why don’t you go
out and play like other boys? Why do you follow me like this?” He looked up at
his mother and said, “Well, Mommy, in the school my teacher told me to walk in
Jesus’ footsteps. But I can’t see him, so I’m walking in yours.”
We should
remember that all the families from the very beginning of the inception of this
institution had problems. Cain murdered Abel out of jealousy and Jacob acquired Esau's
birthright. Threats to the family are
not a thing of the past. There are many threats to family life in the 21st
century. They include individualism, which isolates couples from each other;
attempts to redefine marriage and family, which add to the confusion prevalent
in society, excessive concern for material things, which obscures the value of
spiritual gifts; poor moral examples in the movies and on television, which promote
false notions.
Another
problem is that the parents fail to understand their children. In today’s
gospel passage also it is said that Mary and Joseph did not understand the
words and actions of Jesus.
“After three days they found him in the temple,
sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And
all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. When his
parents saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, 'Child, why
have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for
you in great anxiety.' He said to them, 'Why were you searching for me? Did you
not know that I must be in my Father's house?' But they did not understand what
he said to them.”
A great threat
we encounter in our families is “loneliness.” Often there is no time to spend
with the elderly. Parents and grandparents are left alone.
In an audience Pope Paul VI told how one day, when
he was Archbishop of Milan, he went out on parish visitation. During the course
of the visitation, he found an old woman living alone. ‘How are you?’ he asked
her. ‘Not bad,’ she answered. ‘I have enough food, and I’m not suffering from
the cold.’ ‘You must be reasonably happy then?’ he said. ‘No, I’m not’, she
said as she started to cry. ‘You see, my son and daughter-in-law never come to
see me. I’m dying of loneliness.’ Afterwards he was haunted by the phrase ‘I’m
dying of loneliness’. And the Pope concluded: ‘Food and warmth are not enough
in themselves. People need something more. They need our presence, our time,
our love. They need to be touched, to be reassured that they are not forgotten.
How do families deal with these modern issues? It
starts with adopting the motto, “In God We Trust.” Trusting in God is the key
to renewal of family life. The feast of Holy family reminds us that.
Satish