Message in a Minute for Dec 29:
Today we celebrate the feast day of the Holy Family. A day when we remember and venerate the blessed family from Nazareth, Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. I think that the Holy Family is one of the most important feasts for our daily lives, because, last time I checked, every one of us was born into a family. Every family is different. We all have the crazy uncle, the angry sibling, the odd circumstance. We all see difficulties and obstacles in our families. So, when we look at the Holy Family it might be quite easy to just write it off: that’s it, of course they are holy, one is the son of God, one is the Immaculate Conception, and the last was known as a righteous man and is remembered as a saint. Of course, they are going to be a holy family, we don’t have a shot.
In some ways this is true. None of our children are the incarnate word of God, none of us are the Immaculate Conception. Still, all of our families are called to be Holy Families. All of us are called to be Holy, we all live in families… therefore, our families are supposed to be holy. How do we get there?
Let’s turn to the Holy Family for inspiration. In the Holy Family we see a blueprint for holiness in the family. First, there is a tremendous trust in God. Mary was approached by the angel and she says yes to God’s will. Joseph was approached by the angel in today’s gospel and he says yes to God’s will.
Now, we probably don’t receive divine messages by angelic messengers, but each of us are called to know God’s will, to seek him in our daily lives, to grow close to him, to trust in him, to allow him to aid and guide us in our decisions. This is especially true in our family lives. Each and every member of the family can draw close to God. Each of us can grow in our life of prayer. We should lean on God and ask him for direction and guidance. But, we should also pray for our families. Each day we should pray for the members of our family, by name. Each day we should thank God for the members of our family, by name. Each day we should pray for guidance, bring our specific issues, problems, and circumstances to God. Name them, pray for them, be open to God’s guidance. Just think what family life would be like if each and every member of every Christian family spent some time every day praying for the good of the whole family. I think it could be life changing. So, the lesson from the Holy Family, is that each member of the family needs to trust God and grow close to him.
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