The Holy Family is the name given to the family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. We know very little about the life of the Holy Family. The four gospels speak very little about them. They speak of the early years of the Holy Family. It includes the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, the flight into Egypt, and the finding of Jesus in the temple. Though the exact details of the day-to-day life of the Holy Family may be unknown, we can still learn a lot from them.
The Feast of the Holy Family is not just about the Holy Family, but about our own families too. The main purpose of the Feast is to present the Holy Family as the model for all Christian families, and for domestic life in general. Our family life becomes sanctified when we live the life of the Church within our homes. The family is called the “domestic church”. St. John Chrysostom urged all Christians to make each home a “family church”. In doing so, we sanctify the family unit. We cannot imagine the family without Jesus and we cannot live out the Church in the family. The best way to make happy family is making Christ the center of family and individual life.
The ways to do this include: reading scripture regularly, praying daily, attending Mass at least on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation, imitating the actions of the Holy Family, going to confession frequently, making a pilgrimage, attending annual Retreat and so forth. Some of you are doing these and I urge you to continue to do so. Besides these positive actions, there are also the various actions and behaviors that are contrary to God’s Divine plan for the family. They should and must be avoided. These are abortion, contraception, same-sex marriage, polygamy, divorce, spousal abuse, child abuse, and staying together without marriage.
Saint Paul gives us some advice on family life in Colossians 3:12-21. He has told us to be holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, and patience. If one has a complaint against another, he told us to forgive each other. That is the real family; there should be understanding between husband and wife. The Lord forgives us, so we also must forgive.
The families must have love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. To the Wives, Saint Paul told to be subject to their husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. To the husbands, he told to love their wives, and do not be harsh with them. He again told to the Fathers; do not provoke their children, lest they become discouraged. To the Children, Saint Paul instructed them to obey their parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.
The Holy Family feast is a good time to remember the family unit and pray for our human and spiritual families. We also may take this feast to reflect on the value and sanctity of the family unit, and to evaluate our own family life. What are the ways we need to be improved? Finally, we can use this feast to ask ourselves what we are doing to promote the family within our own cultures, neighborhoods, and communities.
As we celebrate today the feast of Holy family, let us ask Jesus, Mary and Joseph to give us the same spirit that our family may become happy, peaceful, joyful and holy family.
No comments:
Post a Comment