What a great feast we celebrate today, the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph! The timing of this feast is so perfect – it’s what Christmas is all about! I hope everyone had their family members around them to celebrate the birth of Jesus.
Just 24 hours ago, we celebrated the Nativity of Our Lord. The Lord of the Universe came down to us as a baby and chose to be born in a stable, the lowliest place possible, with just His mother and father present. The makings of a new little family – Mom, Dad, and Baby. This little family became a little church.
Honor and Care
Today’s readings are so rich in imagery, it’s hard to know where to begin. They all relate to families, and how we should treat one another.
There are two options in the First Reading. The first talks about God’s design regarding the structure and hierarchy of the family; “God sets a father in honor over his children; a mother’s authority he confirms over her sons.” He goes on to explain that whoever honors his father and mother, atones for sins, is heard when he prays, and stores up riches in heaven. God further instructs us to take care of our fathers and mothers when they become old, and to be kind to them, and reminds us that our love and compassion to our parents will be looked upon favorably. Additionally, when we treat our parents with kindness and respect, our children see and learn from our actions, and will treat us in the same manner as they have observed in us.
Passionate Pleas
The second option of the First Reading gives us the story of Hannah, who so longed for a child, that she spent many hours in prayer in the temple, often looking so anguished that the priest thought her to be drunk! Her passionate pleas to God were finally heard when she was blessed with a son, Samuel, whom she consecrated to the Lord and left him to be raised up in the temple by the priests, as her offering back to God.
How To Live
The second reading from St. Paul to the Colossians is delightful in its simplicity and clarity. This oracle is not wordy and confusing, but straight to the point, of how we should treat one another: “Put on, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another.” There are no clearer words than that as to how to truly live our Catholic faith.
St. Paul continues to exhort us to teach and encourage one another, being joyful, singing hymns, and giving praise and thanks to God our Father in all things. He tells wives to be subordinate to their husbands, husbands to love their wives, and for children to obey their parents. This way of life sounds perfectly ideal but is also very hard to live by on a daily basis. This is where prayer comes into play to help us strive in this endeavor.
The ultimate token of God’s love is that He created us all to be his children, that we are able to call him “Abba. Father.” The two greatest commandments that he gave us were (1) to love God with all of our hearts, minds, and strength; and (2) love others as ourselves.
Finding In The Temple
The fifth decade of the Joyful Mysteries is described in the Gospel today. The Finding of our Lord Jesus Christ in the temple. As a mother, I feel the terrible angst and fear that Mary and Joseph would have felt, when after searching through the entire lengthy caravan, they realized that Jesus was not among them. I don’t know how they managed to sleep that night, or the night after, not knowing where their son was, for it was only on the third day that they finally ventured into the temple to look for Him and found Him conversing with the elders.
I remember on my son’s second birthday, we had gone to the mall, and while browsing through Sears, I realized all of a sudden, that my son was missing. The look of panic that my husband and I shared was palpable. We were near the opening of the store into the giant mall, and he could have gone in any direction! We quickly found an employee who then put out an APB on the intercom. Fortunately, he was located a few minutes later in the toy department!
God wants us to be open to life, to accept children lovingly, and to raise them in the faith, to know, love and serve God! When we do this, we honor Him greatly.
Especially during this Christmas season, let us pledge to love one another more deeply, to be kind, compassionate and patient with one another. That can be our Christmas gift to the Baby Jesus.
Merry Christmas everyone!
[Readings: Sir 3:2-6, 12-14; Col 3:12-21 or 3:12-17; Lk 2:41-52]
