SOLEMNITY OF THE HOLY FAMILY
The Word of God dwells in us richly.
That is our main motivation and goal. First that we, as Christians, need to
acknowledge that God does indeed dwell within us because we are His children
and He is our Father. Next, we must let God do His work within us to transform
ourselves into His likeness. This is an ongoing process that does not reach its
completion until we are forever adjoined with Him after our death. Until then,
if we are to experience our lives here on this earth in its fullest, we need to
keep our focus on him who is our creator. The words that we read from Sacred
Scripture and Jesus Christ need to be put in the forefront of our every action
and deed. Jesus Christ must become our main focus and the central thought that
occupies our consciousness continuously. It is all about Jesus Christ and how
we can let Him influence our lives to make it better and more complete. Let
Jesus do the work within ourselves so that we can become exemplars of the Faith
and become beacons of light and hope for the rest of the world. God calls to
us, we respond, and then His presence bursts forth like the noonday sun into
the world, becoming part of His creation.
We are all encouraged to meditate on the
message of this Sunday dedicated to the Holy Family as we enter the Christmas
Season. The Holy Family, the perfect family, is set before us as a reminder how
we should examine all of our relationships through the lense of God. Joseph,
the Step-Father of Jesus, takes on the roll of protector, mentor, and teacher
to Our Lord Jesus Christ. He was called forth in the most difficult
circumstances to guide his family through many trials and tribulations. He
never lost his faith and he never gave up hope. Faced with scandal, exile, and
possible death, he raised his family and kept them safe. Mary, a mere 15 years
old and a virgin was revealed to be the Mother of God. With unwavering faith
she accepted this responsibility with love and devotion. Jesus Christ, the Son
of God, humbled himself in our humanity. He felt what we felt and experienced what
we experienced for our salvation. They all survived and lived within the
perfect unit of the family.
It is through the experiences in a
family where we formulate our values and opinions. The foundation of our entire
life is influenced by the interactions we have with our parents and siblings.
It acts as a protective net and tool of instruction that will have an impact on
everything: positive and negative. It is inescapable. It is within a family that
we come to realize the person that we truly are. As Christian, we must make
Jesus Christ the center of our family. This will indeed make it more complete.
There is a difference in the entirety of the family when this is done. There is
a presence of the Divine Love which surrounds all of the members. As long as
this Love is present, the family is strengthened and can withstand any
obstacle. For where there is love, there is God.
The presence of God’s Love can heal any
wounds. So even if the family is broken or becomes broken, it can always be
repaired. Just as we all have individually turned away from God in our lives,
the same thing can happen within a family: husbands and wives may divorce,
children may get into trouble, or some sort of crisis tears the family apart.
No wound is too deep not to be healed by God’s Love. No one is perfect and no
family is perfect. God doesn’t expect it to be that way. Each member of a
family is important and God invites us to transform ourselves into the model of
the Holy Family. This is where we find satisfaction, peace, and love. As long
as this action is taken, then the road to unity will be felt and eventually
accomplished regardless of when it happens. It never is too late.
Repairing the brokenness in a family
naturally repairs the brokenness in us. When the process starts, we bring
ourselves closer to Jesus Christ.
Deacon Tom