“Sheep and Statues” by Brian Flanagan, Fiat Ventures
The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph
Nativity scenes are a great way to remember the spiritual side of the Christmas Season in the midst of all the Rudolphs and Santas all over your house. They come in lots of different forms too – you might have a small one with plastic figurines on your kitchen counter, a carved wooden set on your mantel piece, or a big porcelain set, placed prominently on the coffee table in the front room that nobody ever sits in. At my parents’ house, the porcelain one used to be placed a little more prominently, until one day my brother, sister, and I were running around in that room and bumped Joseph off the table, accidentally beheading him. Nothing a little glue can’t fix.
It’s especially amusing this year for me, because my toddler son Petey loves these Nativity scenes. Particularly the sheep. He runs around with them saying, “Baaa, baaaa”. He also knows who everyone is around the manger. You say point to Baby Jesus and he points to him. Point to Mary and he points right to her. Point to the shepherd, and he picks him up and starts chewing on his head.
In our Parish, there’s a statue of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph that Petey also loves. He points in excitement every time we walk past it. This Sunday’s feast day, in the midst of the Christmas Season, is the feast of the Holy Family. Standing in front of that statue with my wife and son was the first image that came to mind when I thought of this feast day coming up. While Petey frantically gestures toward Baby Jesus, I look up at that statue and see the benchmark for what I want my family to be like. Am I being a selfless, sacrificing husband and father as St. Joseph was? Do my wife and I spend time together as a family amidst our busy schedules? There is a lot we can learn from reflecting on the Holy Family.
And what about people who aren’t married and don’t have kids, how is this feast day relevant for them? Well the Gospel reading for this feast gives us one insight into that – Simeon is an old man who had a deep faith, and who had been longing to see the Messiah before he died. When Mary and Joseph bring Jesus to the Temple, they meet Simeon there, and they bring him Jesus. We can think of this as the role of the Holy Family for all of us – that Mary and Joseph bring Jesus to us, who are all longing to see him.
So this Christmas Season as you’re finishing up your candy canes and enjoying your Christmas loot, pray to the Holy Family, that Mary and Joseph would bring Jesus to you, and that you’d be able to imitate them in their amazing example of discipleship and humility. And if your 1 year old cousin is coming over for a visit, you might want to put the Nativity scene animals up on a higher shelf, just for the night.