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Like many parents, every day my wife and I face real and challenging issues in our family.
We have two teenage sons and three younger children. Like many families, our children fight and bicker. Sometimes they are loving and kind, but at other times they are disrespectful. Sometimes they resist doing chores and homework.
In addition to these very common problems with our children, my wife and I have to balance work and family life, make educational decisions for our kids, track our finances, and work through marital disagreements. This is our life! While we would never trade any of our kids (at least not most days!), each day presents its own set of dilemmas along with plenty of tension.
This reality stands in stark contrast to the perception of the Holy Family that I cherished as a child. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph seemed to have such a peaceful existence. After all, Mary and…
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I looked at the holy family so peaceful at the stable and I begin to reflect how exactly are they experiencing. If I was there, I might be thinking the infection that Jesus might get from mingling with the animals and all their refuse. I will also worry about the skin problems Jesus might have from lying on hay. There is also the possibility that He might be trampled over by the bigger animals. I guess the picture of the peaceful holy family is “romanticized.” But then again, maybe it is close to the truth that because of their close relationship to God, they are able to be at peace in spite of their situation.
Thank you for a beautifully written reflection, like almost all others on WAU that I’ve been reading this month since my subscription. We might have come across the main points, or similar propos many times before, but I forget so often times (than forgive, I fear) that constant reminders are always welcome.
God bless,