Merry Christmas!
Today we come to celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. This feast allows us to set our attention upon the domestic church which is the church at home. This church at home is very important because it molds hearts and souls to set their attention upon Christ just as Mary and Joseph set their attention upon Christ.
It should be no news to us that the family life is under attack. In our modern era there is an unending barrage of activities and information which pull us away from one another. Even worse with this unending barrage of activities and information some even loose sight of Christ in order to elevate other activities above Him. Again the example of Mary and Joseph is to set their sight upon Christ. We too must take up their example and come to the defense of the family.
Why is the family so important some may ask. It is important because it is the original cell of society. Within the family man and woman join together to become one flesh and from this mutual love given by couples brings forth new life. Together the family joins to orient their sight upon Christ and together work towards the building up of His Kingdom on earth.
In 1964 Pope Paul VI traveled to Nazareth and gave an address at the Basilica of the Annuciation. Here he spoke concerning the importance of the family in these words: “May Nazareth teach us the meaning of family life, its harmony of love, its simplicity and austere beauty, its sacred and inviolable character; may it teach us how sweet and irreplaceable is its training, how fundamental and incomparable its role on the social plane.”
With that we come to celebrate this beautiful Feast of the Holy Family for this is the feast of family life. Through this feast I hope that we see the necessity to build up the family and the domestic church. I hope that families are joining together in prayer. Some possibilities include reading and reflecting upon the Sunday readings and the praying of the rosary. Hopefully too families are not too caught up in the ways of this world, but make that time which is so important to assist at the Holy Mass on each Sunday and Holy Day of Obligation.
Families must learn to move together instead of being separated to the point that each goes their own way to pursue their own wants. This attitude detracts from prayer. This attitude detracts from the Lord. This attitude even detracts from marriage for it leads towards divorce. The most perfect glimpse of love is found in the Trinity and from the cross. From the cross our Blessed Lord gives Himself up entirely for us out of love. In moments of difficulty the family should not be ripped apart, but move towards the cross and set their sight upon cross to get through whatever difficulty might arise.
