The Sunday after Christmas is traditionally observed as the Feast of the Holy Family, a time when we acknowledge the simplicity and the significance of the family of Jesus as it relates to our own experience of family.
At the time of Jesus, of course, the nuclear family, which has so dominated social structures for some 200 years, was not common, and still remains unusual among many of the cultures of the world. The Holy Family then, imagined as Joseph, Mary and Jesus in modern times, would not have looked the way in which we imagine it today.
Children, especially those under the age of five, were largely ill-treated by modern standards, and suffered from all the childhood diseases which are mostly unknown since the development of vaccines. The grandparents and great-grandparents were revered for their wisdom and hard work and remained integral to the family structure. Due to the younger age of marriage — late teens being most common — grandparents were not yet 40 and great-grandparents might only be in their sixties. It is a common belief that life expectancy was short, but it is a skewed statistic. Plenty of people lived into what even today would be considered old age.
It is not just families, however, where such traditions are handed on. Most institutions have a history — this is especially true of colleges, fraternal societies and different clubs and organizations. In the Church, such traditions can be handed on by longtime parishioners, the Knights [of Columbus], solidarities and other such groups. It is essential to the good function of any organization that such people exist and that the oral histories are transmitted to new members.
This does not mean that we are stifled by the past or that we can’t change, but it is good to know the history of any organization so that we can avoid repetitive mistakes.
The elders in a family carry the heritage of the family and tell the story of their family from days gone by. In a culture where the necessity of handing on traditions through oral transmission is dominant, it is these elders who are responsible for this process.
Virtually every family has somewhere the spinster or widowed aunt or the unmarried or long- widowed uncle who makes an appearance at holiday functions and other family gatherings. When we were children those seemingly ancient relatives always seemed to have an aura about them. I remember so many of them from my own childhood, and the rich sense of belonging to not only a family but the memories of historical events from past generations that were fascinating and made real through the stories of those who knew.
The young couple, Joseph and Mary, go to the Temple in Jerusalem to perform the duty of dedicating their firstborn son to God. There they encounter two of the sainted elderly prophets of the Temple – Anna and Simeon. Through the testimonies of these two prophetic witnesses a prophecy of the mystery of the Gospel emerges.
Simeon and Anna represent both the past and the future. They bridge the old covenant and the new covenant. They are graced by God to be able to bear witness to the arrival of the Messiah and the fulfillment of the promise. They each recognize God present in their midst, and they share their prophecies with the parents of the child.
Joseph and Mary are both enlightened and confounded by what they are told. We are told that Mary “treasured these words in her heart,” suggesting that she needed to meditate on them and reflect on their significance.
As time would move on, these words take on a deeper meaning for her — one that brings her both grief and hope.
We pray that as we grow in age and (hopefully) wisdom and we hand on traditions to our grandchildren or great nieces and nephews; or perhaps become the elders in our parish, that we hand on the faith that has sustained us in this life and keeps us safe for life eternal.
Someday may we be recognized as the elder in our own families who has cherished the Word of God in our hearts, so that we can evangelize the generations yet to come.
Father Garry Koch is pastor of St. Benedict Parish, Holmdel.