What the Holy Family Can Teach Us
Saint Francis de Sales, in his Spiritual Conferences, Conference 3, treats of the challenges the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph faced in their lives.
All families experience joys and trials. We’d like to highlight some thoughts St. Francis de Sales had about this model family and draw from these ideas how we can take inspiration from them.
“The great St. Chrysostom says : O man, you who are so much disquieted because all things do not succeed according to your wishes, are you not ashamed to see that what you want was not to be found in the family of Our Lord ? Consider, I pray you, the vicissitudes and changes, and alternations of joy and sorrow, which are to be met with there.
Our Lady received the tidings that she should conceive of the Holy Ghost a Son, Who should be Our Lord and Savior. What joy, what jubilation for her in that sacred hour of the Incarnation of the Eternal Word ! Shortly afterwards St. Joseph, seeing that she was with child and knowing that it was not by him, Alas ! into what affliction, in to what distress was he not plunged ! And Our Lady,what an extremity of grief and pain did she not feel in her soul, seeing her dear husband on the point of quitting her, her modesty not permitting her to reveal to St. Joseph the honor and the grace with which God had favored her ! Then a little later,this storm having passed over, because the angel had discovered to St. Joseph ‘ the secret of this mystery, what consolation did they not receive !
When Our Lady brought forth her Son, the Angels announced His birth, the Shepherds and the Magi came to adore Him. I leave you to imagine what rejoicing and consolation of spirit was theirs amid all this ! But wait, for that is not all. A little later, the Angel of the Lord said to St. Joseph in a dream : Take the Child and His Mother and flee into Egypt, because Herod wishes to put the Child to death. Oh, how great a subject of grief must not this have been to Our Lady and St. Joseph !”
Reflection:
How do we handle distressing circumstances?
What are our expectations about life in a family?
How do we share our joys and sorrows?