The Holy Family
Back in the 70's and 80's when the Adult Faith was discovered and conscience justified bad manners one of the subjects I heard discussed was the Holy Family Apparently they were not real family models. Apparently without sex Joseph and Mary were not quite what a husband and wife should be. So they lived an unnatural life. Well that was the Liberal extreme I suppose. But equally I remember when one of those first Nativity stories was shown on TV where Mary was presented as young girl with the hopes and dreams of other young girls, and talked about marriage to Joseph as other young girls did, then this was also frowned on.
Mary is often thought of as a serious person. We assume she just spent her time at home and to the other girls in Nazareth she was probably the little prude who never came to play, to laugh, or to tell stories. She was too busy being holy. But what was Mary really like? Was she an athletic girl who could outrun her friends? Did she have a good singing voice and did she play the lute or any musical instrument of the time? Did she have a close friend she grew up with and shared her secrets with? You see that is a dilemma with me? I want a mother I can laugh and joke with, one who would even laugh at Fr Mark's jokes. I do not want someone talking religion all the time.
And the same goes for Jesus. As a boy how good was he at games. And as an adult did he really visit publicans and sinners in their environment just to call them to repentance or was it also the fact that he liked a drink at the same time. Did he sing tenor or baritone? Was he a good dancer at weddings? Would he have been a good football player? When Man City was playing Celtic they had a Jesus in their team. If he was born today would the real Jesus sign for Portsmouth?
Then there is Joseph. How good a carpenter was he? If I wanted a job done would I get references from others? Was he the placid individual he comes over as in the Gospels? He just accepted everything? I wonder if he ever thought "Why could God not have picked on somebody else?" I guess though he must have really loved Mary as a young man to have gone along with the granid plan. Did he give Jesus and Mary singing and dancing lessons?
The thing is that these little thoughts I have had help me to think of the Holy Family in a more human way. Did the people next door every complain about the noise in the workshop? Was Jesus accused of not being nice to one of the boys or girls in a the village and did the parents have to smooth over things? I guess that what I am trying to do is move away from plastic people. The image of holy people having to be serious and praying all the time. Laughter can be holy for it is part of the development of people becoming human. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph were human. They made sacrifices for one another and probably helped out their neighbour in trials and tribulations That is how love develops . I am sure they were seen as the most loving, kind and helpful family in Nazareth. I must find out when I meet them in heaven.
Mary is often thought of as a serious person. We assume she just spent her time at home and to the other girls in Nazareth she was probably the little prude who never came to play, to laugh, or to tell stories. She was too busy being holy. But what was Mary really like? Was she an athletic girl who could outrun her friends? Did she have a good singing voice and did she play the lute or any musical instrument of the time? Did she have a close friend she grew up with and shared her secrets with? You see that is a dilemma with me? I want a mother I can laugh and joke with, one who would even laugh at Fr Mark's jokes. I do not want someone talking religion all the time.
And the same goes for Jesus. As a boy how good was he at games. And as an adult did he really visit publicans and sinners in their environment just to call them to repentance or was it also the fact that he liked a drink at the same time. Did he sing tenor or baritone? Was he a good dancer at weddings? Would he have been a good football player? When Man City was playing Celtic they had a Jesus in their team. If he was born today would the real Jesus sign for Portsmouth?
Then there is Joseph. How good a carpenter was he? If I wanted a job done would I get references from others? Was he the placid individual he comes over as in the Gospels? He just accepted everything? I wonder if he ever thought "Why could God not have picked on somebody else?" I guess though he must have really loved Mary as a young man to have gone along with the granid plan. Did he give Jesus and Mary singing and dancing lessons?
The thing is that these little thoughts I have had help me to think of the Holy Family in a more human way. Did the people next door every complain about the noise in the workshop? Was Jesus accused of not being nice to one of the boys or girls in a the village and did the parents have to smooth over things? I guess that what I am trying to do is move away from plastic people. The image of holy people having to be serious and praying all the time. Laughter can be holy for it is part of the development of people becoming human. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph were human. They made sacrifices for one another and probably helped out their neighbour in trials and tribulations That is how love develops . I am sure they were seen as the most loving, kind and helpful family in Nazareth. I must find out when I meet them in heaven.
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