Today is the Feast of the Holy Family, always the Sunday after Christmas. All of the readings today talk about family. In the Gospel reading from Matthew 2, we read about how Joseph took his wife and Son to Egypt to escape from Herod’s persecution. Upon returning to Israel, they settled in Nazareth.
Chances are probably pretty good that in the very recent past you spent some time with family. All of our children, along with our son-in-law and our new grandson, spent the night for Christmas Eve and we were all together on Christmas morning. What a blessing!
Most of us would probably not think of our family as “holy.” But the family is a divine institution. Your family is holy not because of the actions of its members (for most of us, many of those actions could be very unholy), but because it has been created by God. The same is true of the Church. While all of her members are sinners, the Church is holy because she was instituted by God. So, though it may be difficult to do, let us each look at our family as holy, and strive to imitate the perfect example of family, the Holy Family.
Father, we thank you for the gift of family. Help us to be holy, as you have created us and called us to be. Amen.
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