The Holy Family Model

We might slip into the image of the Holy Family "living happily ever after".  Why not?  Angels announced the birth of the Savior, shepherds came to see for themselves and adore the Holy Child, and Magi from the East brought precious gifts along with their wonder and amazement at what the Star had guided them to.  But no, at some point Joseph was warned in a dream the Herod sought the child's death, so he packed up the family and headed through the desert to Egypt, where Hebrews once had had a miserable life. Finding a house, establishing his craft, learning a new language and bringing up a newborn could not have been easy.  There was no timeline and thus they lived not knowing how long they would be there.  In a dream, Joseph was told to return to Israel, but again, fearing the cruelty of Herod's successor, Archelaus, a further dream told him to settle in Nazareth.  Today's "mobile families" have nothing on the Holy Family! Somehow through all of this, FAITH, Determination Steadfastness, Trust and unbounded Love guided these three, ingredients that remain staples in a good Catholic home today. Without them, there cannot be healthy peace and security. Not an idyllic fairy-tale family, the Holy Family remains a model based in the harsh realities of human existence for families of every generation.
Bro. Rene