In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the whole world should be enrolled. This was the first enrollment, when Quirinius was governor of Syria. So all went to be enrolled, each to his own town. And Joseph too went up from Galilee from the town of Nazareth to Judea, to the city of David that is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. While they were there, the time came for her to have her child, and she gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. 

The movie "Snitch" is the story of two families, especially the fathers of the families, who, even though involved in bad circumstances, are trying to maintain loving relationships. John Matthews had been divorced, and had discovered that his and his ex-wife's son Jason had been more or less tricked into some drug distribution. Another man named Daniel James and his wife and young son were struggling to make ends meet after Daniel, the father had decided to turn away from drugs. After Jason Matthew, John's son, had been taken to jail and could possibly serve up to 10 years in prison on a mandatory "drug offender" deterrent punishment, his father John decided that he had to help him. Since Jason refused to cooperate with the authorities (the subject of the second part of the meditation on the movie), John with Daniel's help set out to capture some drug dealers in order to obtain Jason's release. Throughout the movie, it is evident that both fathers loved their families deeply and wanted only good for them even at great personal cost.

No matter how we study the beginning of the family of Joseph, Mary and Jesus, it is a study of love.  Even when circumstances were not the best, love was no doubt the glue that kept the family together.  At the very beginning of their family, they had to travel to a different land, choose less than adequate lodging, and build a make-shift home for a new-born child. One can only imagine the problems that surrounded the loving family, and one can easily surmise that the only way the family could remain together was through their love for each other.

Of course, there will always be problems for young families, whether in the first century or twenty-first. Circumstances will be different, but there will always be a challenge that must be addressed. For the Matthews and James families in the movie "Snitch," as for many families in our modern era, it was the problem of illegal drugs. Since both families, especially the fathers, approached the situation with love, the families were able to survive.

The drug scene in today's world is a frightening one for families of the twenty-first century. The knowledge of the consequences of illegal drugs plagues every mother and father as they raise their children. They realize that their children, especially their teenage children are exposed to illegal drugs many times throughout their teenage years, and often young people choose to experiment with them. Spiritual leaders remind families that perhaps the best way to keep their children away from illegal drugs is a strong family love. In fact, if a family manages to foster such a love, everything about their life would be so much better.

A footnote is in order as one studies the movie. Even though divorced, John and his ex-wife Sylvie show a united love of their son Jason. Spiritual writers point out that young people will fare so much better if their parents truly love them, no matter what their parents have chosen in life.     

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, your Son began his life on earth in love, giving him the necessary foundation for his later life of ministry. Help us learn the lesson of the Holy Family, and foster true love in our families right now. Be with us, we pray. 

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©2007 Capuchin Province of Mid-America
Fr. Mike Scully is a member of the Capuchin Province of Mid-America