Invited to be Like the Holy Family 

HOMILY: The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph

Luke 2:41-51

26 December 2021 

Fr. Ricky Cañet Montañez, AA

Today as we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family, I want to share with you the story of Allan. He is a 12-year-old boy in Negros Oriental who already works as a magtutuba to provide for his mother and siblings. 

Allan would tie a knife to his waist and climb trees as tall as 40 feet to collect sap from the tree and place it in a jug. They would make this into tuba. Then he would walk nearly two hours to town to sell the wine for P50. At times, Allan would drink tuba just to get rid of his thirst and dip biscuits in it when he was hungry. He admitted that he was scared doing his job and would even get wounded, but he needed the money to feed his family. At a tender age, Allan was already the breadwinner of his mother and siblings. 

His mother “Lina,” left her partner in 2018.  “Nag-away kami dahil sa pinansyal. Umabot sa punto na nagkapisikalan na kami.  Sinabihan niya kami na papatayin niya kami kung hindi kami lalayas. Natakot ako kasi limang buwan akong buntis, kaya lumayas na lang kami.” After giving birth, she asked her ex for financial support but he didn’t have any money. She had to work at a food chain to provide for her family so Allan, only nine years old then, was left to take care of his siblings. Things got worse for the family when the youngest, who was 6 months at the time, developed seizures and was found to have cerebral ischemia.  

Lina wailed that her P2000 weekly salary was not enough for their daily needs and the hospital expenses. To augment her earnings, she decided to plant and sell sweet potato. In a week, she earned P250-P300. This is also what she fed her kids. “Mahirap talaga. Pero pinagsikapan ko lang talaga na mapakain ko sila sa tatlong beses sa isang araw kahit hindi man bigas at least meron mapasok sa kanilang sikmura,” Lina said. It was Allan who took care of his youngest sibling while his mom Lina was in the field with her other child. 

As life got even more difficult for them, she attempted to seek the help of the Department of Social Welfare and Development. That was when Allan offered to help his mother by becoming a coconut wine gatherer or magtutuba so she could stay at home and take care of his siblings.  “Gusto kong tumulong sa kanya dahil mahal namin siya. Wala nang ibang tutulong. Iniwan kami ng aming Papa… para na akong Papa dahil akong bumubuhay kay Mama at kay Dodong,” Allan said.   Although Lina was thankful to her son Allan, she expressed her guilt and sadness for how his life turned out. “Hindi na po siya halos kumakain.  Kailangan namin siya pilitin. Tagilid nga siyang naglalakad at ang kanyang paningin, parang meron ding deperensya.”  “Naaawa po ako sa anak ko, at nag-mature pa siya nang maaga. “, she said.”

According to a non-government organization, children in far-flung provinces have long been suffering from these problems, and they are increasing in number.  “Kung papapiliin ako kung magtatrabaho o maglalaro, magtrabaho ang akin. Mahal ko talaga sila. Gagawin ko ang lahat para makakain din sila,” Allan said. For now, Lina is simply grateful for her son’s sacrifice. “Nagpapasalamat ako sa Diyos na kahit gaano kasalbahe ang aking asawa noon, nagkaroon naman ako ng mga anak na  mababait.” 

Such are the struggles of family life. Even the Holy Family experienced difficulties. From the onset, Mary’s pregnancy was already controversial. When it was time for her to give birth, no one could take them and she had to deliver her baby in a stable with animals. Then, they had to pack up and flee to Egypt to save Jesus from Herod’s murderous rampage on baby boys. Imagine what life was like for them in a foreign land. They were Jews in Egypt — newlyweds with a little baby. There really is no reason for us to think that the Holy Family was spared from any of the pains of an ordinary Jewish family. Although there are few details in the Bible about the childhood and teenage years of Jesus, we can assume that Mary and Joseph, being devout in the Jewish faith, raised their son in a typical Jewish family. Jesus fully entered our human condition as He grew up by having a normal family life. And like any human family, it must have had from time to time its ups and downs, its joys and sorrows, its problems and difficulties. What made the Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph “holy” is their collective attentiveness and obedience to God’s will amidst the struggles of their daily lives. 

In the Gospel for the Feast of the Holy Family we are told of a particular incident in the life of the Holy Family that illustrates that it was not always perfect, and of how they had to deal with the messiness of their life as a family. The gospel relates Mary and Joseph’s parental nightmare as Jesus was separated from them in crowded Jerusalem on their pilgrimage for the Passover. The fact that they “lost” Jesus for a moment, tells us that although they were good and loving parents who made a strong effort, they may not have been perfect parents 100% of the time. Let’s look at how Mary and Joseph reacted to the situation. They did not blame each other when they realised that Jesus was left behind in Jerusalem. Together they took on the responsibility of looking for Him. They did not stop searching until they found Him. And when they found Jesus, they were not harsh. They simply let Him know how displeased they were and that they were concerned for Him. In the Jewish tradition, it is said that “at the age of 12 a boy assumes responsibility for his faith and in this regard becomes an adult.”  Hence, like a typical teenager of that time, excited to assume some degree of responsibility, Jesus had missed out on communicating properly with His parents his intentions. Our children can learn from Jesus who after realising how loved He was, willingly returned home to continue being guided by His parents until He progressed in life toward the fulfilment of His vocation and mission. “And Jesus advanced in wisdom and age and favour before God and man.” 

Today, as we reflect on the quality of our own family life, we entrust to the Lord the many families that are struggling, like that of the 12-year-old boy in Negros Oriental. As Christians, we are called to model our own family life after the Holy Family in Nazareth.  This feast reminds us that every family (though not perfect) has the potential to be “holy”. We are invited to strive to show love and care for one another and to grow in holiness as God’s family.