Eccelisiasticus 3:2-6, 12-14 / Colossians 3:12-21 / Luke 2:41-52
By now, the Nativity set would have been fully laid out, except for the figures of the three wise men who will make their appearance at the Feast of the Epiphany.
The Nativity set that we see in church will have all the representations as told in the Christmas story.
So that is the Baby Jesus lying in the manger or Crib, there is Mary and Joseph, the shepherds, the sheep, as well as a donkey and a cow.
All the figures are in perfect condition and intact, with no chips or cracks here and there.
This is the one and only Nativity set that we have that is considered fitting for public display and we really have to handle it with care.
But somewhere in the storeroom, there are at least two incomplete Nativity sets that may not be that appropriate for public display.
That is either because some of the figures are missing, or that some of the figures have chips and cracks here and there.
Obviously, we can't mix and match those figures together to make up a Nativity set. Somehow it is not appropriate.
Because what we would like to see is a perfect and intact Nativity set. At least a set that is appropriate for public display.
But the reality of life is not so perfect or intact. In fact, there are chips and cracks, and even breaks and fractures.
Today, as we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family, the gospel account gives a rather tense moment in the life of the Holy Family.
After a pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover, the boy Jesus stayed behind without His parents knowing it.
And when they found Him three days later, Mary was emotional as she said, “My child, why have you done this to us? See how worried your father and I have been, looking for you.”
The reply of the boy Jesus was neither that comforting or consoling, and Mary and Joseph also did not understand what He meant, and we could almost sense that it was heading towards a parent-and-child argument.
But nothing more was said, and Jesus went back with Mary and Joseph and lived under their authority.
Jesus showed that even though He was the Son of God, He respected and subjected Himself to the authority of Mary and Joseph.
Jesus lived out the commands of God that is found in the 1st reading, by honouring Joseph and upholding the rights of Mary over Him.
Jesus is teaching us through this incident in the gospel, that obedience to His parents is also obedience to God His father.
And as a family, Jesus, Mary and Joseph showed us how to bear with one another as the 2nd reading tells us.
In going for the pilgrimage to Jerusalem, they showed that they are a devout and prayful family, and as it is said, a family that prays together stays together.
But as it happened even to the Holy Family, we too in our own family will have disagreements and also get into each other's way.
But family is about love and forgiveness, and that can only be possible with family prayer.
May Mary and Joseph pray for us and our families, and may the love of Jesus be in our homes and may He grant us His peace and His joy to live like the Holy Family.