Holy Family

Lincoln's Log 12-30-12

“When his parents saw him, they were astonished...”

Lk. 2:48

A family is an astonishing thing. We live together with an individual or group of people and we start to think we know them. We “have them all figured out.”

Then, they do something to shock us. “I never would have suspected that?” we say to ourselves. Maybe we didn't know them as well as we thought we did.

It goes without saying that Mary and Joseph knew that Jesus was special. His birth had been announced by angels! But living as a family has a way of dulling our sensitivities. Familiarity breeds contempt. Perhaps they thought they had Jesus figured out.

In today's Gospel Jesus astonished them. He did something that gave them a glimpse of His unique mission. He revealed that He was more than they thought.

Over the holidays many of us spend time with family. Sometimes we spend the time rehearsing old arguments or revisiting past hurts. Sometimes we think we have our relatives “all figured out” and can predict what they are going to say on any topic so we don't even try.

Yet a family is an astonishing thing. If we are open to new possibilities we may be surprised at the grace present in the people we thought we knew.

As we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family, may God give us the grace of wonder. May our families surprise us with their goodness.

Peace,

Lincoln A. Wood