Surely, all truly married couples mirror the Trinity in some way: there is the one who loves, then the beloved and the love they share. When a child is conceived in the marital union of husband and wife, there is surely a clear mirror of the Holy Trinity since now you have the Lover, the Beloved and the Love, personified in the baby. In all families, there is a communion of persons. There is a relationship between husband, wife and child. Since the Holy Trinity is a communion of Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit who love one another so perfectly that they are perfectly one, perfectly united as One God with three Divine Persons who love each other from all eternity. So, when God creates the human family, we can be sure that He will mirror in us the Divine Communal Life of the Holy Trinity.We are not only made individually in the image and likeness of God, we are also as a family made in the image and likeness of God.
Today is the Feast of the Holy Family in the Church..which is herself a faith-filled family based on the communal family love of all Christians. Even those Christians who are not Catholic, still in soul belong to the Body of Christ which is the Church of Christ.
The Holy Family is the most perfect mirror of the Holy Trinity we have on this earth. One of the Persons of this family was Jesus, the Son of God, The Word made Flesh. The "Word was with God; and the Word was God; and the Word became Flesh and dwelled among us." John 1 So, in this earthly Family, one of the Persons of the Holy Trinity is present. He not only symbolizes the Son of God, He is the Son of God. Joseph symbolizes the Father in the Holy Trinity. Mary symbolizes the Holy Spirit since she is the spouse of the Holy Spirit who overshadowed her to bring about the Incarnation of Jesus in her womb.
What is so interesting in this family is that they are only concerned with loving the other members of the family. Each member of the Holy Family is devoted to the welfare of the other members. Each member is totally selfless just as the Holy Trinity Persons are devoted and love the other Persons in the Holy Trinity.
This total self-giving love and devotion reaches great sacrificial heights. Joseph remains celebate to honor Mary's vow of virginity and so that her virginity can be truly seen as a sign: "The sign of Jona" - that a "virgin shall conceive and bear a son and his name is Emanuel." If Joseph and Mary were to have children, that sign would have been negated. So, here we have two loving people - married - who love each other and who are in love with one another who give up holy marital union for a higher cause. So, here we have a man sleeping next to his wife who is contented with giving her a hug and kiss goodnight and nothing more. Why? Because Joseph loved Mary more than himself...loved her mission...loved her very being as the Mother of the Messiah. Mary..who loved Joseph also gave up her natural desires that are good. Adam and Eve before they fell into sin were able to make love with a holy desire that was controlled. Mary gave all that up even before the Angel announced to her that she was "full of grace" - that is she was the "Immaculate Conception" because she was to be the spouse of the Holy Spirit at the moment of the Incarnation when she said: "Let it be done according to your word."
Therefore even before the angel came to her, she was totally dedicated and devoted to God: that is what virginity truly means: totally devoted to God. In that sense, even grandmothers who become nuns are now "totally devoted to God" and are mystically "virgins for the Lord" - spouses of the Lord.
So, we have seen that Joseph was devoted to Mary. Mary also was devoted to Joseph; she washed his clothes and made his meals and slept near him at night. She was a good and faithful wife, devoted to her husband and her Child. Do you see that these two members of the family are totally self-less and devoted to others. There is not self focus here on one's own happiness. No, happiness for each member is total devotion to the others in the family. But that is such a perfect mirror of the Holy Trinity whose Persons are totally devoted to the others in the Trinity. It is this total self love in the Holy Family that so mirrors the Holy Trinity.
What of Jesus? " The child grew and became strong.." Luke 2: 48. Jesus, this Person in the Holy Family on earth is totally unique: he is the God-man. He is the Second Person of the Holy Trinity who has had a LONG ETERNITY of experience of how to LOVE in a family.
So, Jesus can love Joseph and Mary with a human and Divine Love at the same time. This is a great mystery. But Jesus did give us a hint about how He can do this: He said: "As the Father has loved me, so I love you....Love one another as I have loved you." And: "Whoever welcome a child such as this for my sake welcomes Me. And whoever welcome Me welcomes Him who sent Me."
There you have it: the total formula for family unity and love.
Jesus, Joseph and Mary teach us even more: Humility!
The Word of God in becoming Flesh as Jesus, the Christ, shows utter humility to come down from the heaven to live in a little hut with mortals. He further shows us how to work in silence and anonimity for 30 years. He sent no letters nor talked on radio or wrote any books. No, He stayed home and worked in the family business..quietly..humbly....and lovingly.
What of Jesus love for Joseph and Mary? His love for His family on earth is beyond our telling. But since He also adopted all of us into this family, He showed that love by dying a horrible death to save us and bring us into His Heaven Family in Heaven one day. Jesus' family love knows no bounds! We are awed..because He even said: "No man shows more love than to lay his life down for his friend." But Jesus did exactly that for us His friends. There is more: Jesus even died for His enemies....He even tried to bring His enemies into His family. You would think that Jesus would be more street smart. He was smart: He was Wisdom Incarnate. He even said: "Father, forgive them because they do not know what they are doing." Only family members say things like that. Even to the very end, Jesus was ministering to the weeping women of Jerusalem, praying for his enemies that they would repent and be forgiven. He even tried to win back Judas in the middle of Judas's betrayal. Jesus just doesn't give up. He is totally a "dreamer of bringing all into His family". At end of the world at the last judgment, we shall see just how wise and merciful He is..and how right He was to reach out to sinners as if they were His family. Jesus only had eyes to see "family" because in the Trinity, Family is all that there is!
Holy Family, please pray for us...give us to love one another in humility and utter devotion as you did for one another. Please pray for our souls now and at the end of our days so that we can all be part of your Holy Family in Heaven with you. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
Peace and love, Pio
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