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Saturday, 29 December 2007 |
Holy families: what do they look like? How are they holy?
We Catholics celebrate Christmas Day…for eight days. We have an octave of Christmas, and each day of these 8 days should be a Merry Christmas day. It’s important for us to remember this…that today is Christmas, when we try and think of the Feast of the Holy Family, and what this Feast has to say to our families.
Why do we consider the holy family holy? Well, we know from the ancient tradition of the Church that Mary’s place in salvation history as mother of the Word and her holiness were given to her by God, at the moment of her conception. This was in the plan of God. And we know that according to the written tradition of the Church (the Bible), Joseph’s place in the holy family was set by God, in the work of heavenly messengers, the Angels. Mary and Joseph were holy, by God’s grace.
But Mary and Joseph are not the heart of the holiness of that family. The heart of their holiness and ours is given in the one we celebrate in this octave of joy. The Christ-child, born to Mary and her husband, is the heart of God, manifest in human flesh and blood. The Christ-child is the reason for Mary’s vocation, and Joseph’s as well. They played their part, but it was and is the Christ-child that creates holiness in families.
But what about today? What about our families? Is there holiness in the modern family? As is often the case, the answer to the question is another question: what does the modern family understand as its center, its heart? How does each modern family define itself, in relation to the Word of God? How does your family seek to cooperate with the plan of God, for your family and for each member of your family?
As I was growing up, I had many years of loving support with both my mom and dad at home. But sadly, my parents divorced. The sad experiences of that divorce were known by all of us, especially by my younger siblings. Many of you have experienced separation or divorce or the death of your spouse. Many recognize that their family is broken. Others of you desired marriage but remained single, with only a few choosing the single life. Some never sensed a call to marriage and feel a bit out of place when talk of the family is heard at Mass. What about this notion of the holy family today?
Here is what this Feast is about: The Lord God has given us a Savior, a Light to dispel ALL the darkness. The Lord God has given us a dynamic Love, meant to inflame us with love. We have been given the heart of God, in the Christ-child, and this child, growing in grace as Son, seeks to be united to every broken heart, every lost soul, every one of us that has experienced any kind of loss.
Our families, strong or weak, united or dysfunctional, are holy, as each invites the Lord into the heart of the family, as each family repents of any sin and seeks to be reconciled in love. The holiness of the family is all about the Presence of Christ within, so it makes little difference what our families may look like (the results of past failure, past sin). Each is made holy, in proportion to the Lord’s love, seen in our surrender to His Way and His Truth and His Life. Please God, may this parish family be a holy family, with Christ Jesus as heart of all we do and say and are. Be with us now Lord, as we look at Building a Legacy of Faith… to your glory and our own joy!
AMDG
Msgr. David |
