Merry Christmas!
Today we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. This day serves as a reminder of the importance of the church at home which is also known to us as the domestic church. So often it seems that the domestic church has been pushed to the side in many homes as families are split apart to do their own thing and thus pushing Christ off to the side.
In the manger dwells Mary the Mother of God, Jospeh her most chaste spouse, and Christ who is God made Flesh. Thankfully, the Christmas message does not end at the manger, but instead it spreads throughout the world. The importance of Christ being God made Flesh could not be contained within the confines of a manger and thus too this important message cannot be simply contained in one aspect of our life. This message must penetrate into every aspect of our life.
Within the manger all attention was placed upon the Christ child. Angels, shepherds, and magi came and they did him homage. Mary and Joseph were present and they too adored their son. Hopefully, we also set our sight upon Christ daily. Therefore, it is an important task that families are bound together to place their sight upon Christ. As one of the options for the Gospel to be proclaimed at weddings states: “Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock.”
To build one’s home upon Christ is to set ourself, our marriage, our vocation, our family upon the solid foundation which is Christ our Lord. Couples do not enter into marriage to live life as they wish, but rather they enter into marriage in order to participate in the cross from which our Blessed Lord pours out Himself entirely for His spouse who is the Church. When is the last time that your family has prayed? This is a serious question because again Christ must be found at the front and center of our families.
Hearing the confession of children reveals a lot about home life. To hear things such as missing Mass, never going to confession, not knowing the Act of Contrition, the Hail Mary, the Glory Be, and sometimes the Our Father is a reflection of what is not taking place within the home. If you are to set your sight upon the Christ child you must bring your children to Christ in order that they may know and love Him. This is dependent upon parents taking it upon their self to form their children in the faith as they promised God at the baptism of their child.
Therefore we need families who pray together especially the Most Holy Rosary of Our Lady, who study scripture together maybe the readings for Sunday Mass, who frequent the Sacraments by coming to Mass and making use of the confessional, who pray together before a shared meal, and who find other ways to dwell with Christ as a family.
May the Holy family of Jesus, Mary, and Jospeh always be our guide.
