On the Sunday after the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord,
Christmas, we consider the family. Now when we hear the title of the
celebration, the Feast of the Holy Family, we are inclined to just dismiss the
possibility that our families can be like the Holy Family. We forget that
Jesus’ family was holy because they lived united to God[1].
Still, many of you may be thinking that your own families
are far from the ideal. Well, join the crowd. Ever family is far from the ideal
because every family is made of unique individuals with their positive
qualities and their negative quirks. Or, to put it simply, if you think your family
is strange, you’re right. You have crazy Uncle Fred whose behavior has to be
interpreted to the younger children. And then there is nasty old Aunt Martha,
who you would have sat next to Fr. Joe at your daughter’s wedding reception,
but he was smart enough to decline the invitation… So, your family is strange,
but so are you. And my family is strange, and so am I. All families have their positive
and negative aspects. The fact is that the very negatives become the
opportunities of grace leading the rest of the family to God.
Being a holy family means being a family separate for the
Lord. To be holy means to be set distinct from all that is not holy. So for our
families to be holy we have to choose that which is often contrary to the choices
made by other families. For example, we keep immoral material, shows, etc out
of our houses because we ask God to dwell there. At the same time we, actually
you, have to be very careful of where your children are visiting or staying
overnight because other families might allow immorality into their homes, or,
simply, not supervise their own children. This could earn you a lot of
criticism from others, but the integrity of your family is an infinitely
greater value than its popularity.
Being a holy family demands that our homes be places of
prayer. The Church, at least in our country, is still suffering from the
misconception that worship takes place only on Sundays and in the churches and
that religious instruction is the exclusive realm of parish programs. This is
all wrong. We come to Church on Sundays to be united to Christ in Word and
Sacrament so that we can strengthen the union that takes place in our homes. Some
families do this through the family rosary. Others have family prayer at
bedtime. Most make it a point to have family prayer before meals.
You send your children to religious education for the basic
outline of what you need to communicate to your children every day. Parents,
not parishes, are the first teachers of their children in the ways of the
faith. Some parents hold themselves back in this area because they feel
unworthy to teach their children about God. They forget, God makes them worthy.
Just as your authority as moms and dads gives you the grace to impart God’s
blessing on your children, and many of you do this every night, so also your
authority as moms and dads gives you the grace to impart God’s knowledge to
your children. You do not have to be theologians to teach the faith. You just
need to be united to God. The center of our spiritual life must be our homes. That
is why we need to give God our day when we wake up, morning prayer, and thank
Him for our day when we go to bed, night prayer. We need to keep our minds pure so we can speak to the Lord
all day.
The heart of our parish is not this church. The heart of the
universal church is not the Vatican. The heart of the church is the family. So
we pray today, that all our families might be holy families ■
[1] Sunday 30th December, 2012, feast of the Holy Family. W. 1
Samuel 1:20-22, 24-28. How happy they who
dwell in your house, O Lord—Ps 83(84):2-3, 5-6, 9-10. 1 John 3:1-2, 21-24.
Luke 2:41-52.
