Mass readings for the Solemnity of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph:
1 Samuel 1.20-22, 24-28 Psalm 84.1-2, 4-5, 8-10 1 John 3.1-2, 21-24 Luke 2.41-52
Two years ago, when the Jubilee was being planned, His Holiness Pope Francis announced the theme: “Pilgrims of Hope”. It really is a double theme, and the Vatican’s spokesman made that clear – pilgrimage and hope – both represent key themes of Pope Francis’ pontificate.
The first is something that should be more than apparent in terms of His Holiness’ attitude toward the status quo he found upon taking Peter’s chair: it does not serve the Church and her mission to stay in the situation he found us in. We need to get moving, and moving to where Christ calls us in our time, to be a truly pilgrim people who are transformed by the journey as much as we will be changed when we get to the destination.
And hope… When the Jubilee was announced in 2022, we were still emerging from the COVID crisis and dealing with the consequences of how that was handled by our political leadership; we were in the midst of restarting economies, restoring community life and private life. The disruption had done more damage that was at all anticipated: to the economy, to community, to personal relationships, and to spiritual and psychological well-being. There was also the imminent start of the war in Ukraine, tensions with China over the status of Taiwan, both cause for concern as potentially drawing the whole world into a deadly global conflict.
Being anxious was frankly, normal. Even in terms of more local and mundane concerns that nonetheless loom large in the life of a family, of an individual. We have a cost-of-living crisis that is making things very difficult for a large number of households in our parish as it is in Canada more generally. Two years ago, I looked at the parish’s books and realized we had a problem. While the parish was coming back together, and I must say, people offering financial support, it wasn’t enough fast enough. Martin Strybosch of the Finance Council and I went to see the vice-chancellor at the diocesan offices to discuss the we had a big hole in our budget, and we negotiated a two-year holiday from interest payments on the parish’s debt. But until we got that very generous gift from the bishop, I was worried.
I’d love to say things have improved overall since, but… well, you read or watch the news.
Hope was something His Holiness very much knew we needed then, and continue to need now.
This Jubilee was inaugurated, as you all know, by the Pope opening the Holy Door at St. Peter’s Basilica at the start of the Midnight Christmas Mass; on subsequent days he went and opened the Holy Doors of the other three major basilicas of Rome. But in the life of the parishes of the Church throughout the world, we mark the beginning of the Jubilee on the Feast of the Holy Family.
And when I sat down to prepare my homily, I thought this would nicely dovetail, the Jubilee into a reflection on the Holy Family: there’s the theme of the human family; and then the spiritual family of the Church community; and we’re all travelling this road of faith together. Our first level of connection being those of our immediate household, the husbands & wives, the brothers & sisters, but then we can add grandparents and cousins, aunts & uncles, etc. These in turn connect to the Church as other families are on the journey, and we come to recognize that our connection through our shared confession that Christ is Lord means that our families don’t struggle along in isolation upon a lonely road. We’re more like the Israelites in their thousands making their way to the Promised Land – not always the happiest bunch, but having the comfort of each others company, and the benefit of pastors who do their best to be current day versions of Moses and Joshua.
We can also think of the Holy Family as the model for us, as many as we are: among us are the Josephs who guide and protect this big family of families. And we can think of how Jesus’ foster father in obedience but also out of great courage took on the task of keeping safe Mary and Jesus. How many here devote themselves to the many practical tasks of keeping this place in good repair, and in constant improvement so that it can be the spiritual home for us all. Among us are the Marys, those who care and nurture the Christ within us as teachers of the faith, ministers of the sacraments, visitors to the shut-in, the sick and the frail.
But then I looked over the reading, and said, “oh…”
It’s the story of Mary and Joseph learning a rather hard lesson: while Jesus is in their care, as Christ he does not belong to them alone. The anger and disappointment they clearly express, while understandable, is misplaced because of their failure to understand their role in this great story of humanity’s redemption. The child born Christmas day so very quickly grows up, is even quite precocious as he emerges into adolescence. What we have been tasked to care for as the faithful, to nurture in ourselves, must eventually go out into the world. We can’t keep Jesus to ourselves. However, we are rightly anxious as we know that bringing him out into the world, to Dundas, to lapsed Catholics, nominal Christians, to the many who have different religions or no religion at all, means joy and suffering, pain and elation. There will be rejection, opposition, obstruction even as we will surely celebrate miracles. This is the context for Pope Francis’ call to celebrate the Jubilee. We must with intention understand ourselves to be pilgrims on a journey, not tourists off to stroll the sights; that we are far from arriving at our destination, that it isn’t a matter of booking a flight to Rome; but nonetheless we are filled with a well-founded hope. The motto of this Jubilee is “Spes Non Confundit,” or “Hope does not disappoint,” (Romans 5:5). But this hope is not going to be simply given; it has to be pursued: and in the coming year we are instructed by His Holiness to manifest “signs of hope”, including the desire for peace in the world, openness to life and responsible parenthood, and closeness to prisoners, the poor, the sick, the young, the elderly, migrants and people “in difficult situations.” In being a sign to the world, we will find our hope; and in the experience of it, through what will come in this Jubilee year, receive much to treasure in our hearts.
Amen.