FROM THE PASTOR’S DESK
Dear St. Mary’s Parishioners,
Merry Christmas! With the arrival of December 25th, we make the switch from the season of Advent to Christmastide when the Church gives us a couple of weeks to reflect upon the gift of the Incarnation. As always, the Church’s liturgical calendar is a wonderful teacher. By situating the Solemnity of the Holy Family on the first Sunday after Christmas Day, we are reminded that that if the Nativity of the Lord is a celebration of God coming to us as a Child, Christmas also reminds us of the gift of the Holy Family and the importance of the human family. The opening Collect for Mass puts it this way: “O God, who were pleased to give us the shining example of the Holy Family, graciously grant that we may imitate them in practicing the virtues of family life and in the bonds of charity….”
During Christmas season, baby Jesus and Mother Mary receive a fair amount of rightly deserved attention. Still, we have much to learn from St. Joseph. We have all heard that not one word of Joseph is recorded in Sacred Scripture. Nonetheless, Joseph speaks much through his actions. What were some of Joseph’s actions? For one thing, different from Mary, Joseph was not told from the beginning that he was going to be the father to the Son of God. We remember that when Joseph first found out Mary was pregnant, he was thinking of divorcing her quietly. Later, while sleeping, an angel clarified things for him. The angel told Joseph not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife and that she had conceived Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit. Clearly, Joseph had a deep spiritual life which enabled to discern clearly something communicated to him from God. And, he had the conviction and confidence to act on it.
Regarding his unique union with Mary, Joseph chose marriage freely even though he must have known that his choice would require him to remain celibate. Joseph’s obedient promise to God to live as the celibate husband of Mary did not make him a weaker man. Indeed, it made him all the more manly. Through their chaste self-mastery, Joseph and Mary exemplify how-to live-in control of one’s desires and appetites, indeed, to live obediently according to God’s will with the help of His grace. This is a very important lesson. We live in a world that hammers us with the message that it is not possible to control one’s bodily, sexual or emotional appetites. Therefore, we should just give in to them, we are told. Jesus, Mary and Joseph teach us otherwise.
St. Joseph reminds us of another truth: it is not the biological fatherhood of the father of the family that is most important. Nor is fatherhood primarily about equipping one’s children for success in the world. Indeed, on account of his not being Jesus’s biological father, Joseph reminds us of the more important dimension of fatherhood. As the legal father of Jesus, it was Joseph’s duty to raise Our Lord in the traditions and faith of Israel. It would have been Joseph’s role to teach Jesus how to pray, to bring him to the synagogue and to familiarize him with Sacred Scripture. Today, many fathers today think it is good enough to provide for one’s family and to give advice on how to get ahead in the world. But, it is important to remember that the Church has always taught that the father is the spiritual leader of the family. It is part and parcel of the father’s fatherhood and therefore his manhood, to lead his wife and children to greater holiness through his own example and very intentional leadership. (cf. Rev. Paul D. Scalia, “The Father We Need,” www.thecatholicthing.org, Dec 27, 2020)
We pray that we “may imitate constantly the example of the Holy Family, so that after the trials of this world, we may share their company forever”. (Prayer after Communion, Mass for the Solemnity of the Holy Family) Blessed Christmas!
In Christ,
Fr. Berg
