Today is the feast of the Holy Family, Joseph, Mary, and Jesus. We offer our opening prayer, our collect today, praying, “ Domine Jesu Christe, qui Mariae et Joseph subditus, domesticam vitam ineffabilibus virtutibus consecrasti; fac nos utriusque auxilio, Familiae sanctae tuae exemplis instrui; et consortium consequi sempiternum..” “O Lord Jesus Christ, who being subject to Mary and Joseph, didst sanctify home life with unspeakable virtues; grant, that by the aid of both, we may be taught by the example of Thy Holy Family and attain to eternal fellowship with it.” It means that we are praying to God to help us to live as the Holy Family, united in respect and love. We also would be asking how to let go of the mystery and uncertainty and be able to receive life’s struggles and pains gratefully.
We also can pray for our own families’ brokenness, for gratitude of healing, for our families’ commitment, for growth, trust, togetherness, and reverence. We can pray also for other families whom we know are hurting, hoping, needy and separated. We can pray personally with our expectations, for what is real around us in our homes and, more importantly, that blessings be upon us. I know that there are so many disappointments in living the Sacrament of Marriage for some couples. Some couples never realize that raising children is going to be hard if they never educate the whole family about faith. When couples work hard with lots of expectations, they need to work to attain a certain level of patience, compassion, and trust. Parent-child relationships are directly related to the relationship with God. Prayers from those who believe, respect, love, and honor parents are heard by God. God’s blessings will be the fortune of those offspring who care for father and mother. Sometimes family time can become stressful, and it cannot be avoided to share these family conflicts with others because one cannot handle these difficult times.
Having said this, I do believe that the Holy Spirit Mission has wonderful young families with their children being trained well in the faith. I am not very much concerned about having a baby crying, and I am grateful to all these young couples for their dedication to be good parents to their children. I am really grateful to all of you.
The gospel reading for today is very pleasing because it shows us the humanness of Mary and Joseph and Jesus as a young boy. Let us look to the example of the Holy Family as we reflect on our time spent with family and friends. How do we face some family issues and accept each other? Let us widen our horizon to see the bigger picture, rather than focusing on the “little things.” Can we overcome frustrations, anger, and resentments?
In the epistle today, taken from the Letter of St. Paul to the Colossians 3:12-17, St. Paul was exhorting the Colossians that they are THE CHOSEN ONES of God and therefore they must live out the implications of their being chosen by God. Clearly this pattern is meant not just for the Colossians, but we the faithful today are the inheritors of Paul’s advice. Take a prayerful moment to silently reflect on each of the virtues St. Paul suggests and to assess how we practice these virtues: Heartfelt Compassion, Kindness, Humility, Gentleness, Patience, bearing with one another and, above all of these, are Love and Charity. As we look at this list of virtues, let us assess our own behavior and family life. Our own family life should be modeled on the Holy Family’s life. The family is the first church, and as chosen by God, what is it we learn and inculcate into our lives with our family?
When we live together in one house, it is necessary that we know how to forgive each other. We not only have to forgive each other, but we need to be aware that we need forgiveness from each other, prompted by the example of God’s forgiving heart. Being part of a family means being faithful and loving each other on our best and worst days, even to the point of doing laundry of piles of dirty clothes and cooking a meal for our family.
Today we need to appreciate this Feast of the Holy Family. There are so many things that rely on identifying the difference between the Holy Family and the ordinary family. The Holy Family was chosen from the beginning because there is the conception by the Holy Spirit, the divinity of the child, and guidance through angelic dream visions. Therefore, we must also be aware about our family and be open to the guidance of the Spirit.
We must heed the call of Vatican Council II to remember that every Christian Family is a “domestic church.” The family must be understood as a “small church.” We need to do everything to make it a place of a loving intimacy. This is the reason that the early church grew rapidly because of those who believed in Jesus and lived like a family, a community who took care of one another. They lived in “oneness of heart and mind and sharing material things in common.” (Acts 4;32) They attracted many other Jews and gentiles alike because they lived by their virtuous example.
Mary, Joseph, and Jesus, living together as a Holy Family, are the very seed of this Christian Family way of living and loving together. We still need to continue to learn and appreciate how to continue to value our family. I am grateful for your faith, and the presence of Mary, Joseph and Jesus, as we look forward to having a positive outlook in this year 2023.
May the Holy Family, pray for us.
Fr. Arlon, osa
