The humility of Nazareth

It is moving to think that the Son of God, having become man, lived for so many years within a family that was unique and special, yet also so ordinary, humble, and real, with its joys and trials. 
We often portray it as an ideal family, so perfect that it seems unattainable! And indeed, it may appear far removed from the reality of our families. But this is a mistaken way of thinking because, in the words of Pope Francis, “the Holy Family of holy pictures does not exist.” In Nazareth, “there is no talk of miracles, preaching, or crowds flocking there; in Nazareth everything seems to happen ‘normally,’ according to the customs of a pious and hardworking Israelite family. They worked: the mother cooked and did all the things mothers do. The father, a carpenter, worked and taught his son to work” (Pope Francis, General Audience, December 17, 2014).

From the example and witness of the Holy Family, every family can draw valuable guidance for its lifestyle and choices, and can draw strength and wisdom for each day’s journey. The family of Nazareth is holy because it is centered on Jesus. For this reason, Nazareth is the model family, in which all families can find a solid point of reference and firm inspiration. By observing the family of Jesus, Joseph, and Mary, every family can rediscover its own calling, begin to understand itself a little better, find its direction in life, and feel drawn to the joy of the Gospel.

Making love normal

The little Jesus growing in the love of his family reminds us that God’s plans take root in the humility of everyday life: “The family of Nazareth teaches us to rediscover the vocation and mission of every family. As happened in Nazareth, so it can happen for us: to make love normal” (Pope Francis, General Audience, December 17, 2014). The daily rhythm of life, apparently insignificant and meaningless, can become a new way of fulfilling the family’s specific calling: making love normal. The Holy Family is the sign of God’s manifestation in small things, the place where God dwells in the ordinariness and everyday reality of life.
If we think about it carefully, everything we experience each day at home, at work, and at school, even if it does not seem directly connected with the task of transmitting the faith, is actually our way of making love normal. As happened during those thirty years in Nazareth, so it can also happen within our families and the environments where we live, because the story told to us by the Holy Family of Nazareth is the story of God’s faithfulness, and nothing can hinder it.

Making room for Jesus

To fulfill the families’ calling to make love normal, there is no alternative but to make room for Jesus. Our family relationships are always favorable opportunities to live out our relationship with Christ, to encounter his face, his voice, and his requests in the faces, eyes, and gestures of a husband, a wife, a child, or a grandparent…
By making love normal, every family can offer the world an irreplaceable contribution, so that we may grow in true love and the most genuine solidarity. No other school can teach authentic, genuine, reliable and credible love as a family can. 

Prayer in the family 

It is a special prayer; it is not like any other personal prayer. It has a particular efficacy. Indeed, Jesus promises those who pray together, united in his name, his very presence: “Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them” (Mt 18:20). He is there, praying in the family, with the family, Jesus himself, the Almighty, who can do everything. And if he is there, how could the Father not listen to him?
No flood of words is needed; a simple prayer is enough, which can also be said around the table by reciting the Our Father, the Rosary, and praying for one another: the husband for the wife, the wife for the husband, parents for their children, children for their parents and grandparents.

Points for reflection as a couple/in the family

• How can we “make love normal” in our family?
• How can we “make room for Jesus” in our family?
• “Each of our families can offer the world an irreplaceable contribution”: spreading around them the “fragrance” of Jesus’ love.
• The family is therefore a fundamental “subject” within our community. How can we enhance the presence of every family?