The Holy Family

"The Holy Family" by the Le Nain Brothers

Today the church celebrates the feast of the Holy Family. Many of the pictures shown of the Holy Family of Nazareth depict them as the perfect couple with Jesus well behaved and obedient, usually playing with a bird, holding a pomegranate, or with John the Baptist. They still had their share of problems and issues to deal with, all through their lives. To start they had to escape into Egypt for 2 years because Herod was trying to kill baby Jesus. Once they settled in Nazareth, Mary and Joseph raised their son in a very simple environment. As a baby, Jesus had to be diaper-changed, he had to be nursed, toilet-trained eventually, learn how to walk, how to talk, and many other things that babies do as they grow and mature.  I chose these three paintings today because of their human aspect, because the Holy Family was like every family, and they enjoyed relaxing together, as these photos show.

A typical domestic scene at the home of Nazareth.

This way we can very easily connect with the Holy Family of Nazareth, because they were very much like every family raising toddlers. They had their hands full, and we don’t even know what tricks Jesus played on his parents. Because whether you’re in Bend, Oregon, Beverly Hills California, Buckingham Palace in London, or Nazareth in the Holy Land, boys will be boys!

Another domestic scene by Esteban Murillo