The Home of Mary and Joseph...
Beginning of the Civilization of Love.
January 2020

      “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear and your are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1: 20-21).

Each Christian family is called to be an agent of transformation of the Church and society. But for this transformation to be effective, the goal must be to build a just and fraternal society, the “civilization of love” that began, as explained by Pope St. John Paul II, in the Nazareth Home.
 

    “Dear young people of Cuba: when Jesus took flesh in the home of Mary and Joseph, he revealed and consecrated the family as the sanctuary of life and the basic unit of society. He sanctifies the family with the sacrament of Marriage and makes it "the centre and heart of the civilization of love." The majority of you are called to form a family. How much personal and social unrest has its roots in problems, crises and breakdowns within families! Prepare yourselves to be future builders of healthy and peaceful homes filled with the harmony which comes from sincere dialogue and mutual understanding. Divorce is never a solution but a failure to be avoided. So promote everything which fosters the sanctity, unity and stability of the family, founded upon the indissoluble union of marriage and generously open to the precious gift of life.”

(Pope St. John Paul II. Apostolic Journey of the Pope to Cuba, January 21-26, 1998. Message of the Holy Father to the Young People of Cuba, item 5).

Just as one should not build a building without careful consideration of the project, so too the building of the “civilization of love,” a much more difficult task than building a building, must follow a consistent design. The Holy Family of Nazareth must be the foundation of this project, as Pope Benedict XVI points out:

    “Mary and Joseph taught Jesus primarily by their example: in his parents he came to know the full beauty of faith, of love for God and for his Law, as well as the demands of justice, which is totally fulfilled in love (cf. Rom 13:10). From them he learned that it is necessary first of all to do God's will, and that the spiritual bond is worth more than the bond of kinship. The Holy Family of Nazareth is truly the "prototype" of every Christian family which, united in the Sacrament of Marriage and nourished by the Word and the Eucharist, is called to carry out the wonderful vocation and mission of being the living cell not only of society but also of the Church, a sign and instrument of unity for the entire human race.”

(Pope Benedict XVI. Angelus. Feast of the Holy Family of Nazareth.
Sunday, 31 December 2006).

Pope Paul VI points out three fundamental lessons to be learned “at the school of Nazareth”:

    “Here we can learn to realize who Christ really is. And here we can sense and take account of the conditions and circumstances that surrounded and affected his life on earth: the places, the tenor of the times, the culture, the language, religious customs, in brief, everything which Jesus used to make himself known to the world. Here everything speaks to us, everything has meaning. Here we can learn the importance of spiritual discipline for all who wish to follow Christ and to live by the teachings of his Gospel.  How I would like to return to my childhood and attend the simple yet profound school that is Nazareth! How wonderful to be close to Mary, learning again the lesson of the true meaning of life, learning again God’s truths.

    “But here we are only on pilgrimage. Time presses and I must set aside my desire to stay and carry on my education in the Gospel, for that education is never finished. But I cannot leave without recalling, briefly and in passing; some thoughts I take with me from Nazareth.

 
    “First, we learn from its silence. If only we could once again appreciate its great value. We need this wonderful state of mind, beset as we are by the cacophony of strident protests and conflicting claims so characteristic of these turbulent times. The silence of Nazareth should teach us how to meditate in peace and quiet, to reflect on the deeply spiritual, and to be open to the voice of God’s inner wisdom and the counsel of his true teachers. Nazareth can teach us the value of study and preparation, of meditation, of a well-ordered personal spiritual life, and of silent prayer that is known only to God.

    “Second, we learn about family life. May Nazareth serve as a model of what the family should be.  May it show us the family’s holy and enduring character and exemplify its basic function in society: a community of love and sharing, beautiful for the problems it poses and the rewards it brings, in sum, the perfect setting for rearing children – and for this there is no substitute.

    “Finally, in Nazareth, the home of a craftsman’s son, we learn about work and the discipline it entails.  I would especially like to recognize its value – demanding yet redeeming – and to give it proper respect. I would remind everyone that work has its own dignity. On the other hand, it is not an end in itself. Its value and free character, however, derive not only from its place in the economic system, as they say, but rather from the purpose it serves.

    “In closing, may I express my deep regard for people everywhere who work for a living. To them I would point out their great model, Christ their brother, our Lord and God, who is their prophet in every cause that promotes their well being.”

(Pope Paul VI. the apostolic visit to Nazareth on January 5, 1964).

    May the Holy Spouses Joseph and Mary accompany us in this noble and important endeavor to build the civilization of love through the reconstruction of Christian families.

Reflection and Sharing

Share on the words of Pope Paul VI: “May Nazareth serve as a model of what the family should be. May it show us the family’s holy and enduring character and exemplify its basic function in society: a community of love and sharing, beautiful for the problems it poses and the rewards it brings, in sum, the perfect setting for rearing children – and for this there is no substitute.”

Commitment of the Month

Celebrate the Holy Spouses Joseph and Mary, on January 23, or any other date set by the Community, and on this occasion renew the intention to imitate the virtues of the Holy Family.