The Holy Family is the model of holy family life. God created marriage and family life to be a “school of love” that teaches its members how to give themselves to each other in

The Holy Family is the model of holy family life. God created marriage and family life to be a “school of love.” It’s meant to teach its members how to give themselves selflessly to each other. It’s true that the members of the Holy Family had some advantages. Two of them were born without Original Sin. One of them was God. The other two are saints. But if you think they had an easy life, you’re not reading your Bible!

The Holy Family faced plenty of hardship. Jesus was born in a stable. As romantic as we’ve made that, a visit to a sheep farm will strike your eyes and nose with the reality of what that meant. They had to flee to Egypt when Jesus was two years old to escape the wrath of Herod. Joseph and Mary lost Jesus in Jerusalem when Jesus was seven. So it continued right up to Mary at the foot of the Cross.

True, much of our strife comes from struggling with relationships. The Holy Family didn’t struggle in this way. In this sense the Holy Family offers us a model from perfection. But every family deals with the kind of stresses and chaos that come from a fallen world. In this case the Holy Family offers us a model as peers.

Dealing With the Strife of the World

How did the Holy Family deal with the challenges posed by the evils of the world? If we study their lives in Sacred Scripture, Jesus, Mary and Joseph offer us three important steps.

Step 1: Seek God’s Will in All Things

Joseph learned that Mary was pregnant. Justice stated that he could have her killed. But Joseph chose sacrificial love. He chose to divorce her quietly rather than to expose her to shame. But then an angel came to him in a dream. The angel told him to take Mary as his wife. And Joseph obeyed.
This is a great model for us. Seek God’s will as a family. You may not receive messages in your dreams. But God makes His will known to us in Sacred Scripture, in the teachings of the Church, and by the Holy Spirit in prayer. Seek to do things God’s way. Seek first the Kingdom of God and its righteousness (Matthew 6:33). It’s not the easy path, but it is the path that leads to happiness.

Step 2: Act in Trust

After Jesus’ birth, Joseph again received a message in a dream. This time the angel told him to flee to Egypt. A trip like this would have been dangerous for the Holy Family. It may have seemed as dangerous as staying to face Herod’s soldiers. But the Holy Family trusted God. God saw them safely to Egypt and home again. Along the way, Jesus touched that part of the world and fulfilled a prophecy of Scripture.

Trusting God isn’t always easy. Things can get tough in this crazy world. You will without a doubt face evil. You may face tragedy. Even in the darkest times, trust that God will work all things out for good for those who love Him (see Romans 8:28).

Step 3: Love One Another!

Mary and Joseph find the child Jesus among the scribes and teachers in the temple. He returns home with them and remains obedient to them. Mary and Joseph showed great love for Jesus in their search for Him. They also showed great love in their attempt to understand Him. Mary especially “treasured all these things in her heart” (Luke 2:19). Jesus showed great love for Mary and Joseph by His obedience. Think about it! God humbled Himself to be obedient to human parents! That’s sacrificial love.

While Scripture doesn’t show warmth and affection, we know that the Holy Family was full of it. Scripture does show sacrificial love, even in the brief accounts of Jesus’ family life.

Both expressions of love are vital to family life. For most of us, warmth and affection (emotional love) comes naturally. But we often need to be much more intentional about finding ways to express sacrificial love. Learning to sacrifice for each other can transform evil, tragedy and hardship into opportunities to love.

Imitate the Holy Family to learn how to handle strife in the world. But the awesome part is you can ask them to pray for you so your family can approach the “school of love” with extra grace!