Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph
Since our Messiah and Savior Jesus Christ has started His redemptive work in our world with His birth on Christmas Day, He chooses the family as the first thing to be sanctified by His presence. Hence, today we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. With this Feast, the Church encourages all Catholic Christian families to model their lives on the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph and to imitate the Holy Family as well. The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph was a family centered on love as each member performed their duties perfectly. St. Joseph was a model father; Mary, a model Mother and Jesus, the perfect child. This is why they serve as an inspiration for all families especially in times of sadness, crisis, challenges, and conflicts. In St. Joseph, we see an epitome of patience and humility, urging all fathers to faithfully carry out their duties and responsibilities of providing for, caring for, supporting and protecting their families. In Mary, the Mother of all families, we see the perfect example of faithfulness to God, dedication or commitment to Him and compassion, as she calls on all mothers to be dutiful, faithful and loving to their families. So parents, as we were taught in our First Reading in the story of Hannah who dedicated and gave Samuel to Eli to serve the Lord and in our Gospel reading on the story of Jesus who was found sitting in the midst of the teachers in the temple by His parents after they searched for Him for three days, you are called to be there for your children physically, mentally and spiritually by mentoring them when you share your experiences with them to teach and protect them; and when you nurture them by listening to them, understanding them and by guiding them. In Jesus, the Son of God, and the Son of Mary and Joseph, we experience the importance of love, honor, respect, and obedience, as He urges us to do so in our families and to our parents. How can we make our families holy like the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph? We can make our families holy like the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph by making God the center of our family and by having Him be the Head of our homes. This means that we should honor God and pray to him daily as a family because a family that prays together, stays together. Secondly, we can make our families holy like the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph by truly and sincerely loving one another. This means we have to love each other with true affection, with a spirit of service, with mutual respect, with mutual understanding, with mutual help, and with mutual desire for each other’s wellbeing and happiness. So my brothers and sisters, let us go and make our families holy like the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph today by making God the center of our families and by truly and sincerely loving one another.
