And be thankful
What rich scriptures the Church gives us today. The readings from Sirach and Paul’s Letter to the Colossians both admonish us to appreciate, honor, respect and love those in our earthly families. Sirach especially reads like lovely verse that a modern poet might write. Paul counsels us to put love above all else and sums up the lesson with “And be thankful.”
But what are to make of the series of dreams, angelic in origin, that drive the narrative of Matthew’s Gospel? Who among us can claim that a heavenly dream changed the course of our life? We are given no details about the dreams themselves or Joseph’s reaction. I imagine him turning to Mary and whispering, “Good Lord, you were right all along.”
This Gospel lends itself to the harrowing realities of our migrant brothers and sisters today without much effort. It too sadly and accurately reflects the people who knock on our doors. Meditating on this story, I am struck by the thought that while Mary, Joseph, and the child Jesus did have to flee for their lives to a neighboring land, they did so as a family and that is how we remember and celebrate them today. They survived their sojourn to Egypt as a family unit.
Meanwhile, so many among our clients have no family to lean on for support in times of need. A former colleague of mine, a skilled social worker, remarked that the single greatest cause of housing instability and homelessness is the break-up / breakdown of relationships of all kinds (intimate partner, roommates, parent/child, etc.). It is when our circle of relationships fails us, or when our behaviors and illnesses have made it difficult to stay in relationship, that we call instead to outside organizations for aid. How often do we receive some version of the desperate plea “I’m a single parent with my kids and have no family to turn to for help”?
Our work today from these scriptures is multiple:
- Cultivate a tender spot in your heart for all those who will come to us this year who claim no family; theirs is a plight dear to God.
- Be grateful for the network that sustains you; say their names.
- Pause (I mean really pause) to recollect all in your family – from birth or of choice, both current and those who have passed – for their gifts and graces to you: what they’ve given, how they love.
Scott Cooper serves as Vice President of Mission for Catholic Charities Eastern Washington (Diocese of Spokane), where January will mark 25 years with the agency.