The Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, Year A
Today we celebrate the feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. In our first reading from the book of Sirach, we are reminded of the importance of family life and its values. In our second reading from the letter to St. Paul to the Colossians, St. Paul teaches us that family life and values are rooted in the unconditional love of God as witnessed by the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph; and as we heard in the gospel reading from the Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew. All our readings today talk about family life and its values, and emphasizes how it should be rooted in the unconditional love of God, so how can we make our families be rooted in the unconditional love of God?
For a family to be rooted in God’s unconditional love, it must strive to Holiness, have Faith in God, Love one another, practice Patience and Sacrifice for each other. (1) Call to holiness - As Catholic Christians, we are taught in Catechism that “All are called to holiness, that is to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. This call teaches us that in order to reach this perfection required of us, we should use the strength dealt out to us by Christ's gift, so that doing the will of the Father in everything, we may wholeheartedly devote ourselves to the glory of God and to the service of our neighbor. Thus our holiness will grow in fruitful abundance, as is clearly shown in the history of the Church through the lives of so many saints.
(2) Faith in God. Since Faith is our belief in God shown in our thoughts, words and actions, then our belief in God should be the center and focus of our families. With God at the hem of affairs in every family, there will be no worries or disappointments, that is why we need to deepen our faith in God, because with God everything is possible. Remember it was the faith of Mary and Joseph in God that made and urged them to say "yes" to God in answer to their role in our salvation story. How strong is your faith in God? Do you truly and sincerely believe in God and show that belief in your thoughts, words and actions?
(3) Love one another. Love, which is the greatest commandment should be evident and present in every family because God is love and everyone who abides in love, abides in God. Our story and our life as Catholic Christians today, is a story of love, that is, God’s act of love towards us in our creation, redemption and salvation. So, do you truly love God? Do you love your husband, wife or children? Do you love your neighbor as God loves you? Do you show and share the love of Christ in your thoughts, words and actions?
(4) Practice Patience. Patience which is the capacity or ability to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset, should always be present in every family since God is patient, kind and merciful to us. The patience of Mary and Joseph helped them fulfill their mission in our salvation story as we heard in today’s gospel reading. How often do we pay attention to God’s mercy and patience towards us? How patient are we with ourselves as we work on changing our lives and coming closer to God? How patient are we with our spouses, our children and with others?
(5) Sacrifice for others. Sacrifice which is defined as the act of giving up something that you want or need, to keep another happy or to do something good to help someone else, helps us participate in the life of Christ while deepening our faith in Him. The Sacrifice of God in sending His only begotten Son to us to suffer and die is a perfect example of the sacrifice that should exist in family life. The sacrifices of Mary and Joseph made our salvation story a reality. What sacrifices are we making for God today that His Kingdom might reign supreme in our world? What sacrifices are we making today to change our lives to be better disciples of Christ? What sacrifices have we made in our spiritual lives to deepen our faith in God as His children?
My dear brothers and sisters, as we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph today, let us sincerely emulate them in their practice of Holiness, Faith in God, Love for God and their neighbors, Patience and Sacrifice, which are the basis of true Christian family life.
