December 30, 2007
Father Tony
Since Christmas is a great family celebration, it is only appropriate for us to observe the Sunday after Christmas as the Feast of the Holy Family. As logical as this arrangement might seem, this feast is not of ancient origin. In our Church’s 2,000 year history, we only began to observe this feast about seventy years ago. There is a reason for this. Typically, the Church establishes a feast only when the topic of consideration is under some sort of attack. In the last century, our Church’s leaders recognized that, more than ever before, the institution of the family was under attack from many forces in the world. So, the feast of the Holy Family was established to highlight the importance of marriage and family life.
While Jesus could have come into the world with great force and power, He chose to come through a simple, ordinary family. In doing so, our Lord exalted the status of the family and made it the cornerstone of human society. The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us that: The Christian family assumes singular importance in the church. It is the original cell of social life. Husband and wife are called to give of themselves in love and in the gift of life. The family is the community in which, from childhood, one can learn moral values, begin to honor God, and make good use of freedom.
In other words, our Church teaches that the family is the first church – our first school of faith. While our parishes and schools are important places to learn about faith, your homes are the first schools of faith. Never forget that! Jesus’ home was certainly His first church. He was kept safe and allowed to grow into a man in the context of a family. In his family, with Mary and Joseph, He learned how to love and serve God. Can we say the same for our families? Are they places where you and your loved ones grow in faith, hope and love? Are your children kept safe from harm – physically, emotionally, and morally by your vigilance? Do you come to Mass and confession faithfully, making sure your children are living a life of grace? Do you pray and talk about issues of our Catholic faith with your children? Are you willing to do whatever it takes, as Joseph and Mary did, to promote holiness in your family and among your children? Are you helping your children discern God’s call in their lives, helping them to understand their proper vocation? These are important questions for our parish family, because our parish is only as great as our individual families.
We know that the Holy Family didn’t always have it easy. In fact, they had many crises and lots of stress to deal with. Sadly, many families today are in crisis and all families have lots of stress. Satan knows where to attack us and he does so by going for the jugular, attempting to tear families apart, that which is the very heart of the Church. A Christian family is holy, not because it is sinless, but because its members seek to follow Christ and His way of life.
In our second reading today, St. Paul told us how to develop holy families. He said we should put on the qualities that make for a holy family – heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another. He says, “If one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do. And over all these put on love, that is, the bond of perfection.” We need lots of love to have holy families. Love is seeking that which is best for the other. We would all agree that the key to a strong marriage and family is being unselfish, putting other people’s needs before our own. On the flip side, the greatest threat to our families is selfishness. The very word “family” can be understood as an acronym for “Forget About Me; I Love You.”
Today, the Church throughout the world joins together to pray that our families will truly be holy families, “little churches” where the love of Christ is found. Let’s resolve on this feast that in the New Year before us we will spend more time with our families. Just as we schedule many outings and projects in life, so can we also schedule time to be with those who are closest to us. Let’s also pray on this feast for those who do not have the joy of family life, perhaps because of broken relationships or because of a recent death, that God will grant them peace. Jesus, Mary and Joseph, help us to make our families like your own, united in respect and love for one another.