Feast of the Holy Family

This last Sunday of the calendar year we celebrate the Holy Family: Mary, Joseph, and Jesus.

It might be hard to relate to the sinless Mary and Jesus and the virtuous Joseph. But they are our models of courageous faith lived quietly in a culture that was antagonistic to their faith. And they reveal that our God came to save us not through appearing in human history like an extravagant and self-sufficient superhero, but through a humble human family.

Family is a crucial theme in the majority of the best movies and stories that we love. This is no accident! We have been made in the image and likeness of God who is 3 persons but also one—in his image and likeness we have been made and this is shown powerfully in the home: many persons, but one family. Within our bodies and in the image of the family is this call to Communion.

While Mary and Joseph were by no means rich (their offering of turtledoves was an allowance of poorer Temple gifts), they were wealthy in love, tenderness for one another, and faith in the God who would provide for them.

“If you want peace in the world,” Mother Teressa said, “go home and love your family.”

Can it really be that simple? Indeed, God does not demand extravagant signs and works from us. He acts in the normalcy of life and asks for us to do little things with great love. St. John Paul II asserted that as the family goes, so goes the world.

To love our families well is to live out God’s call to holiness in the ordinariness of our lives. Through each sick child cared for late at night, each dirty diaper, or tough conversation with a spouse or parent, we are putting into action the call to love and honor one another.

How can we strive for holiness in our family this new year?

How can I put my love for my family into a small action today?

How can I ask the Holy Family for their intercession for my life and struggles?