St John the Evangelist Parish

December 29, 2024

The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph

As a first-time pastor in a parish, I received a phone call one afternoon from a young married couple, “Father, our 2-year-old son drowned in our pool this morning. We are at the hospital. Please help us.” I sped over. The little boy was gone, his body cold, slightly blue, laid out on a bed. His parents were distraught and in shock. I walked with the couple for the next few years along their difficult and painful road. They openly shared with me how they were often tempted to blame and accuse each other for the loss. And yet, by God’s grace, their love for each other grew stronger and deeper as the years passed.

The Holy Family was not without its pain and loss, either. Luke tells us, after losing their twelve-year-old son, Joseph, and Mary “after three days found him in the temple area, sitting among the teachers…” (Luke 2:46). We don’t know precisely what those three days were like for them except for what Mary says: “Your father and I have been looking for you anxiously.” The three days of his absence foreshadow his death and burial. His finding in the temple is a kind of resurrection for his family. They had to learn, again and again, that their family was becoming a place where death and resurrection were not only accepted but welcomed and celebrated. But indeed, they deeply felt the dangerous agony of their loss — just like every couple who has lost a child.

What losses in your experience of family still cause you anxiety? In what ways has God’s presence seemingly vanished in your family? Will you keep searching for Jesus? Remember, he will rise and be found. Your family may be suffering, but when he is found, it will be stronger than ever before.