"Be holy...

[MariaChristi]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Today is the Feast of the Holy Family and the Church ponders how beautifully holy are the members of that Family: Jesus, Mary and Joseph. In this Holy Family all the families of the world can discover God dwelling in the “seemingly” ordinary circumstances of life.

Mary and Joseph are examples of two human persons who loved God with their whole hearts and souls and minds and strength and obeyed His Holy Will in all things. Both Mary and Joseph faithfully heard His Truth in the Scriptures before they “saw” His Truth in the Child Jesus. As a family they obeyed God’s Word:

I am the Lord, who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy. (Leviticus 11:45)

The Gospel for today recounts the loss of the Child when He remained in Jerusalem and how His parents sought him for three days. Mary’s question is one any mother might ask of a lost child:

“Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.”

I looked up the word “anxiety” to find out if the word in the original Greek was the same because that word didn’t seem to “fit” Mary’s lips, at least to me. I was happy to find that the original Greek word was “sorrowing” which seems more appropriate. Mary and Joseph knew Jesus was God’s Son and their sorrow was in not knowing what happened to Him. It seems to me they would be searching as both of them had done before His Birth to know what God’s Will was – they were well aware of the Old Testament prophesies of a Suffering Servant in Isaiah. Jesus’ answer, however was one that the scripture tells us they did not understand:

And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” But they did not understand what he said to them.

There is no further recorded conversation on the matter. The Gospel of Luke merely continues with the beautiful example of obedience and humility which God shows us in Jesus:

He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them;

The Gospel ends with the heart of the Holy Family and the Model for all of us to grow in holiness:

and his mother kept all these things in her heart. And Jesus advanced in wisdom and age and favor before God and man

One last quote from our first Pope – St. Peter, in his letter to the early Church:

Like obedient children, do not act in compliance with the desires of your former ignorance but, as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in every aspect of your conduct, for it is written, “Be holy because I [am] holy.” (1 Peter 1: 14 - 16)

Blessed Feast of the Holy Family to all!

 

[Richard_White]

We always have to remember the example of the Holy Family and have recourse to their guidance and blessing as we attempt to rebuild the traditional family and its values in our society - the “domestic church” whereby we propagate the Faith.

May God bless you always!

 

[MariaChristi]

We always have to remember the example of the Holy Family and have recourse to their guidance and blessing as we attempt to rebuild the traditional family and its values in our society - the “domestic church” whereby we propagate the Faith.

May God bless you always!

Dear Richard,

Thanks for your reply. Yes, God chose to be born into a human family in order that we may “see” by faith, how to live truly holy lives in this world. The domestic church is beautifully described for us in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 1655 -1658. Here is an excerpt from CCC 1658:

…Many remain without a human family often due to conditions of poverty. Some live their situation in the spirit of the Beatitudes, serving God and neighbor in exemplary fashion. the doors of homes, the “domestic churches,” and of the great family which is the Church must be open to all of them. “No one is without a family in this world: the Church is a home and family for everyone, especially those who ‘labor and are heavy laden’.”

God bless you too!