Do Whatever He Tells Do
The Holy Family and New Years Resolutions
Last weekend, we celebrated the Holy Family following Christmas. In the Church’s wisdom, we contemplate the Holy Family following the celebration of the birth of Jesus.
St. Joseph taught Jesus the art of carpentry. It is beautiful to think of Jesus learning the trade in the workshop with His earthly father.
I like to contemplate the truths Jesus would have learned from Joseph. One may have been when Joseph told Him that a true carpenter carries his tools and the wood he is to use; however, when the wood is too much to carry, be willing to let someone else help you.
Joseph was unafraid to teach Jesus and prepare a generation younger than him with life-helping truths. So, too, it is in our time. We need the elderly and those with experience to share what they have learned.
Pope Francis has often spoken of the need for intergenerational dialogue and how this is helpful for the youth. St. Thomas Aquinas advises the youth to talk with the elderly because life involves many decisions amidst countless circumstances. For Aquinas, the elderly have acquired wisdom, and the youth can benefit from hearing this wisdom.
Social media is only growing in American culture. Although social media has its positives, one negative must be considered: the voice of the elderly is often not heard on social media. Where and from whom are our young people hearing the truths needed for life?
St. Joseph models to each of us to share truth with others just as he taught Jesus the truths of carpentry and many other life lessons as the earthly father of Jesus.
Mary models her willingness to share Jesus. Immediately upon hearing that she will give birth to Jesus, Mary runs in haste to see her cousin and share the good news.
When Jesus was born, Mary was open to the shepherds and Magi visiting. Mary is unhesitant and entirely willing to share Jesus with others. How unhesitant and willing are we to share Jesus with others? Maybe God is calling us in 2025 to share more about Jesus and His impact on our lives.
Later in Jesus’s life, Mary says a powerful phrase to the servants at the Wedding Feast at Cana: “Do whatever He tells you.”
As many of us make resolutions for the 2025 New Year, it is worth considering Mary's advice to do whatever Jesus tells us to do. This ought to be the guide for all our resolutions.
Joseph teaches us to be willing to share truths that are helpful to others, especially to the following generations. Mary teaches us to be willing to share Jesus with others and to do whatever Jesus tells us to do.
May the witnesses of St. Joseph and the Blessed Virgin Mary continue to help us come to know, love, and serve God in this New Year of 2025.
Fr. Luke Daghir
