There are a myriad of biblical threads which could be traced in today’s Liturgy of the Word: blessing, promise, mutual obedience in family life, faithfulness to the Law, joy and sorrow. Add to that the opening Collect and the other prayers of the Mass and the picture which emerges is something a little more complicated than the name of the feast suggests.
But today my thoughts are staying with MP, James Daly’s remark that most struggling children in his area in Bury are ‘products of bad (not his word) parents’. A crass and insensitive remark like this has understandably caused a strong reaction. The truth of the matter is that so many parents are doing the very best they can with whatever they have.
While it’s possible to weave together a very pious set of ideals about family life from liturgy and tradition, I like to see today’s feast as a time to acknowledge the joys and sorrows of living in relationship with others. We are made for connection, however fragile that may feel.