Today is the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. All of the readings today talk about family. In the Gospel reading from Matthew 2, Joseph is instructed to take his family to Egypt to escape the evil clutches of Herod, who wished to kill the Christ child.
Family is so important. I'm always heartbroken when I'm asked to pray for families that have split apart. And we always pray for folks who have lost family members recently. If that's you, know that we are covering you in prayer.
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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