The first January is traditionally celebrated as the Solomon feast of the Holy Mother of God. The first January is commemorated also as the world day of peace since the Adress of Pope Paul VI in UN in 1965. This year is the 55th world day of peace (1968-2023). Every year the Pope gives a message for the world day of peace. This year Pope Francis wrote his message with the title: „No one can be saved alone.“ The Pope asks: what did we learn from the Pandemic? He appeals to fight against injustice, inequality and poverty in the post corona period.
I consider two sentences of today’s Gospel important. First: “And they went with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger”. This sentence expresses the situation of the most important moment of the family of Joseph and Mary namely the birth of their child. The anxiety and joy could merge together by the happenings on this day. The second important sentence of today’s Gospel is the following: “Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart“. As the mother of Christ Mary experienced the mystery of Christ and the mystery of salvation in her heart. Thus, Joseph as the father and Mary as the mother opened their new chapter of life with the birth of Jesus in a very simple manner.
Was it easy for Mary as a young lady to adjust herself to the new situation and to fulfil her role as mother and as wife? Did function everything by Joseph and Mary perfect?
The search of accommodation in Bethlehem, escape to Egypt, return to Nazareth, hard work to survive, missing of Jesus with 12 years, death of Joseph, the period from the 12th year of Jesus till his public ministry with 30 years: all these were not easy for a young mother to manage. Mary as the mother of Jesus and as the mother of God managed the most difficult situations in the most ideal manner with the grace of God and assistance of the Holy Spirit just as she responded to her immaculate conception.
We do not have much information about the life of Mary with Joseph and Jesus. Did Mary as the mother of the child played an important role in the formation of Jesus? Did Mary, Joseph and Jesus divide among themselves different duties of their family? Did Joseph earnt money through his carpentry, Mary did the household duties and Jesus helped Joseph and Mary? Or did both Joseph and Mary do every work together, both earnt money and both did the household duties, work in the carpentry, kitchen, brining water from the well etc.? Did they have sometimes difference of opinion, unsatisfactory behaviour, did they have streit and conflict; were they again united; did they have unfulfilled expectations, disappointments? We do not know anything about it. We know that Joseph, Mary and Jesus had stuck together. Mary the mother of Jesus could have also different problems, she had truly anxiety and worries about her son Jesus.
The Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph was an artisanal family, Joseph was a carpenter. Craftsman, Architekt and Carpenter were at that time not poor people. Due to the different construction companies from Rome and Greece craft was very much needed and carpenters were rather rich. Sine there is no reference to the wagers in the workshop of Joseph, Joseph had only a small workshop and the income was therefore small. Since Joseph and Mary offered two doves instead of Lamm, Joseph and Mary were simple and modest.
We do not know anything from the Bible on what kind of role the grandparents of Jesus played. Only reference to the grandparents in the Bible is the geneology of Joseph in Gospel of Mathew chapter one. There are many traditions and legends about the maternal grandparents of Jesus. But we do not know whether the grandparents lived in the house where Jesus lived. We do not know whether the Holy Family consisted only of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. If the Holy Family consisted of Jesus, Joseph and Mary alone it would have been uncommon at that time. We do not know when did Joseph die, whether Jesus and Mary were alone for a definite period. Definitely it was hard for Mary as mother to take care of herself and to bother her son Jesus after the death of Joseph. But Mary managed everything as the divine mother in the same manner she said „Fiat“ to the message of the angel Gabriel.
We do not know how did the education of Jesus took place. But we know from the Bible that Jesus remained away from the parents in the Temple of Jerusalem for three days as he was 12 years old. As the parents found him in the temple after three days of search Jesus did not apologise, instead he asked his parent why did they search him. For Jesus it was taken for granted that he should be in the house of his Father. According the concept of the present day, the parents are responsible if a 12 year child is missing. As the mother of Jesus Mary might have undergone terrible pain during the search for her son Jesus. Besides her worries and anxiety she was confident that Jesus would be with some ralatives, friends or neighbours.
The fact that Joseph was not the biological father would have not played much role. But we do not know whether the people around, the relatives, friends and neighbours knew about it or whether it had any impact in the society. Definitely it was not easy for Joseph, Jesus and Mary to deal with this particular situation. Joseph could be considered today as the symbol of a modern father who took care of Mary and Jesus.
If we consider Mary as a mother, it was not much different from a mother today. It does not depend on whether one has problems, unfulfilled expectations, needs, but it matters how one deals with problems and different. The holy Mary was one with all the possible problems and crisis, but she dealt with all the different and unimaginably difficult situations with confidence and found solutions to all the problems. The holy mother is the model for the motherhood.
I wish every mother the grace and the spirit of the Holy Mother. I wish our Christian families mutual confidence, serenity, readiness to stick together, like the Holy Family of Joseph, Mary and Jesus.
Fr. Joseph Pandiappalli MCBS