Merry Christmas to all of you.
This evening we gather here to celebrate the birth of our Savior. He who is God made Flesh who came to this earth in order that we may be redeemed. During the Christmas season which stretches until the 9th day of January we dwell with this great reality that is now presented to us. On Friday we will celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. This feast reminds us of the importance of the family's role in society for it was the family which was placed central in God's plan of coming to take on our human flesh.
Saint Matthew's Gospel reminds us of the importance of Saint Jospeh in the Nativity of our Lord. He was the spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary and was instructed by the angel of the Lord to protect her and this Child who was to be born. Thus too we are presented with Saint Mary who was chosen by God to bring forth the Savior of the World through her womb. Both Mary and Joseph are now gathered around the crib of our Blessed Lord and they continue to draw other souls here to dwell with their Son. We can thus say that the Nativity serves as a reminder of the importance of the family.
Pope Benedict XVI exclaimed concerning the family: "The family is fundamental because it is the place where there germinates in the human soul the first perception of the meaning of life. This perception grows in the relationship with the mother and with the father, who are not the owners of the life of the children but the first collaborators with God in the transmission of life and the faith."
Christmas is a time when families come together and place Christ first in their life. That is precisely why so many gather here this evening to celebrate the fact that God's love is so great that He was willing to come and dwell among us. Nevertheless, Christian families must look towards the Holy Family to receive their inspiration. Mary and Jospeh led their Son in the life of faith and thus we must allow the Holy Family to inspire our life to be centered upon Christ not just for one day, but always.
It is the role of parents to assist their children in their upbringing of faith. This is a promise which is made to God by the parents at the baptism of their child. The family must thus lead each other to come into an encounter with Jesus Christ.
When we come to the Mass we come into an encounter with this same Jesus Christ. We encounter the same Jesus through the Eucharist whose birth we celebrate with great joy on this evening. The Mass leads us to center our life upon Christ and sends us forth from its midst to faithfully live out the Christian virtues. If we truly believe that Christmas is a great Christian feast we must direct our life and that of our family here always. We cannot deprive ourself of the graces which are poured forth from the Mass.
Let us therefore rejoice always and may we allow Saints Joseph and Mary to intercede on our behalf that we may come to welcome Christ into our home during this Christmas season and thus that we may always allow Him to remain here. May the family truly be inspired by the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.
