The Holy Family
Every year we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family. The Church asks couples to be like the Holy Family. How can we possibly do that? One is divine, two are conceived without sin, and the third the perfect example of manhood.
I don’t think the Church understands my marriage. My children seldom act with any concept of divinity, my house is covered with dirty laundry and last week’s dishes, and my spouse is asleep on the couch. Right now, I am thinking anything but holy.Exactly! There is room for improvement! And there is a desire to change!
The Holy Family had their trials and they learned to change. They had an evil king trying to kill their Son. In the middle of the night they had to grab whatever they could carry and flee to another country, where they weren’t welcomed. When the evil king dies his son becomes king, so they secretly enter Israel and hide out in a little town called Nazareth far away from Jerusalem. They lost their divine Son on a trip to Jerusalem because he wanted to stay in His Father’s house.
The Holy Family did not have it easy. What they did have was a trust in God, a hope in His Divine Guidance, and a love for each other. We are not called to be THE Holy Family but to be as Holy as we can be with God in our lives.
As we turn to God, we find we can trust him. Laundry can be done, children can learn to pray, and fathers can become the spiritual leader of their little church, their family. I can assure you of the power of prayer. And as the large parish church we all need to pray for all our families.
May the Lord bless you in the name of the Father and if the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen