Holy Family, Happy Family (Holy Family, 2017)

To listen to this homily, click here.

The feast we celebrate today, the feast of the Holy Family, is one of my personal favorites. It seems like a perfect companion to the Christmas festivities but it also reminds me of the many blessings and joys I have experienced in my own family growing up. I hope and pray you have similar sentiments as you think of your family and upbringing!

This feast is relatively new in the life of the Church. Founded in 1895 and declared universal in 1921, the celebration of the Holy Family was a reaction of the Catholic Church against the attacks of modern society towards the family. These dangers had their beginnings in the Industrial revolution when families were being broken up and overworked, sometimes becoming strangers to each other even while living in the same home.

The Church has always had the highest regard for the family; She calls it the domestic church and the building block of society. If you want to know how healthy a society is, look at the health of its families. Of course, it’s no secret that many of our families in this day and age are under attack from dangers like divorce, redefinition of marriage, cohabitation, non-stop sports and other activities, and the promotion of selfishness among our young people which discourages any sense of obligation or obedience to parents and other authority figures.

The family is under attack because the devil knows it is the most effective way to turn people away from God. If he can introduce fighting, anger, hatred, sadness, suffering, division, and dysfunction into our families, then he will have an easier time leading us away from God and make us feel alone. Without the family, a person is incredibly vulnerable to temptations of every kind. God intended our families to be a refuge, a place where we can go for support, safety, and love.

Our faith wants families to be healthy, happy, and secure. When our families are hurting, the Church is robbed of its vibrant spirit and its mission is compromised. 

This is why we celebrate the great feast of the Holy family, just a few days after the incredible miracle of Christ’s birth. Just as Jesus became one of us, he also was born into a family like us. He had a mom and a dad, he grew up learning from them how to eat, drink, clean, study, pray and countless other things that you and I picked up from our families. 

This celebration of Jesus’ family is also a celebration of our own. A time when we can reflect on the perfect example of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, and apply the example of their lives to our own.

Pope Paul VI, in a beautiful reflection on the Holy Family, offers three main points that we can think about for ourselves:

1) Silence: Jesus time with his family was the majority of his life and also the most secret. 30 years of quiet learning, practicing, praying and loving; all preparing him for 3 years of public ministry. In the safety and quiet of the his family, he grew, learned and heard the voice of God. Would he be able to do the same today, in the typical American family where kids are being shuttled from one activity to another constantly? Where families rarely sit down to eat together, without a tv on or some other distraction? Parents, are you trying to do your best to protect your families from those dangers that attack the family? Is there time to be together and pray as a family? Are you watching out for the spiritual dangers that are often more subtle and dangerous? Vigilance and silence are possible and necessary for our families if we want them to be holy, nurturing places where each person is known and appreciated properly.

2) Family life: Even though there is little we know about the daily routine of the holy family, we know it would have been similar to ours in many ways. Imagine all the little lessons he learned from Mary as she prepared meals, cleaned the house, did the wash, mended clothes, and went shopping in the market. How constantly he was watching and soaking in everything that Joseph said and did as they worked together in the wood shop, and repaired the house, and helped out the neighbors. Everything he experienced in those 30 years of family life became part of his preaching and parables. What are the lessons that your children are learning from their family life? Is there an example of warmth and genuine care for them as they grow and develop? Is it clear that they are the number one priority, more so than careers, social lives, vacations, or personal comfort and possessions? Do they observe love, forgiveness, patience and mercy from their parents? Is your home a school of virtue and charity, a place where God is found and promoted? Children and young people, are you willing to become like Christ, humble and obedient to your parents? Are you grateful for the many sacrifices they make for you, many of them unknown and unappreciated? Do you realize that you owe them your respect and love, even when you disagree with them and they drive you crazy?

3) Finally, The holy family teaches us about work, its value and the discipline it requires. Work makes us holy and keeps us occupied. It develops our talents and helps us to contribute to our families and society. Honest work makes us responsible stewards of what we have and helps us to appreciate what God gives us. Work is part of God’s plan and any work, in the home, our studies, or our careers can all become a prayer and a proclamation of the good news.

       Let us find inspiration in the hidden life of Christ to live a virtuous life, developing our personal gifts, and contributing to society with our work. May this feast of the Holy Family always remind us that we are not just members of a human family but also members of God’s family, brothers and sisters in Christ by virtue of our baptism.  My prayer for each of you in this Christmas season is that you experience the peace and joy of the Holy Family in your own households by imitating their example. May your homes be little Nazareths that make the world a better place and bring the light of Christ to a world so often afflicted by sin and darkness.