Father Chris – THE HOLY FAMILY 2021 - Homily

​“Finding Ourselves”

Once in a while we hear a bit of commotion in the department store, drug store or grocery store when a mother suddenly loses sight of her child. It’s usually a brief, rather anxious time of quickly searching for the little one, but no doubt a frightening and emotional time for the parent just the same, and often for the child as well.


I was one of those children you suddenly hear crying for their mother, because they’ve suddenly become separated and lost sight of them. In those days it was a Kresge dept store. I remember the stark panic and fear vividly, and yet it would have only been a few seconds of separation, despite the tears.


Truly, it is only a few seconds of shock, although more understandable in today’s world, but it does emphasize the strong, deeply personal, vital connection we have with those we first know and love, our mothers, our parents, our caregivers.


And so, today, we can only imagine the intensity of fear, concern and worry which Mary and Joseph must have felt losing sight of their young son, and not just for a few seconds, but for three days! In many ways, it is this incident which makes the Holy Family so real to us, so intimate in a way other families in the bible are not.


Hannah’s relationship with her child, Samuel, is one of religious duty and idealism, her child more a possession, and her suggested sacrifice an honourable one. But this is foreign to us; the stuff more of myth than reality.


By contrast, Mary’s relationship with her son, Jesus, is loving and motherly. And Joseph’s is that of a true father and protector, navigating his family through one dangerous situation to another, especially in their early years. Surely, he must have worried terribly that something grim might have happened to his son.


It's quite natural Christ’s mother would never forget this event, nor the events to come. And so, with this event, also ends our few experiences of the young Jesus.


But what might we learn from this gospel story? Clearly, the value of love and the critical importance of family in our lives. Christ’s divinity is expressed by Jesus himself for the first time. We now know Christ is the Son of God in his own words.


But perhaps there is another perspective we might examine, something helpful in a personal way to each one of us. That is: what do we do when we lose ourselves? What do we do when life turns us upside down, and we cannot find ourselves, an all too common situation experienced at this time of year?


Life is a miracle. It is wonderful. It is a supreme grace to be alive. But life can also be difficult. The love and joy of life is easy. But we can get lost, lose ourselves in the challenges and suffering which are also part of life.
Many are seeking help to solve emotional and mental problems, some perhaps even rooted in an unhappy or unloving family life. Some are searching for their real selves lost in the stresses and difficulties of work and home life; while others have filled their lives with distractions of all kinds, some of them addictions or days and weeks booked up with such heavy schedules, they lose a sense of themselves or imprison their true selves deliberately in busyness, maybe afraid of finding their true selves, preferring to hide from the person lost within their subconscious mind.


How do we find ourselves? Psychology is a modern blessing, a form of healing as vital and significant to our well-being as all other medical treatments. When we are truly and deeply lost, we should seek out those who can help us find ourselves.


But there is someone who knows us better than ourselves, who is with us always, who never fails to search for us when we are lost, who will help us find ourselves, if we just sit in silence, tune out the distractions in our lives, and invite him to speak to us, guide us, heal us, be present with us, and that is Jesus Christ.


During this coming holiday week, set aside time to listen in silence to your Creator. He will communicate with you in ways you cannot imagine. Then, the words of clergyman, John Newton’s, hymn, ‘Amazing Grace’, will be more relevant than ever before: “I once was lost, but now am found,” found by my Lord, Jesus Christ.


– Rev Fr Chris Tracey, Saint Joseph Parish, Saugeen Shores, Ontario