To watch Deacon Andy’s homily from The Feast of the Holy Family: CLICK HERE!
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Feast of the Holy Family
To watch Fr. Joe’s homily from the Feast of the Holy Family: CLICK HERE!
As we waited for the beginning of our livestreamed Mass today, our camera focused on the three figures of Jesus, Mary and Joseph at the front of the Altar. The Holy Family, the feast we celebrate today and the feast we share in today and every day.
As one priest I know shared, “How many of us feel we are living inside a ‘Holy Family'”?
I would guess that we feel that holy and conflict cannot go together.
There’s a series of commercials for foster parents that after the parents do something “silly or stupid” ends with, “you don’t have to be a perfect parent to be a foster parent. There are plenty of kids and teens who would like to put up with you!”
I think it is safe to say that no family is perfect, whatever that means…
But families are meant to be places, homes, where faith, hope and love… where caring and sharing are fostered.
Families are meant to grow day after day, with some setbacks along the way, in love of God and one another and others…
Today’s feast is not about a family we cannot become. Today’s feast is about the holy family each of us are becoming…
A priest friend asked me to share in 10 words or less what my homily was about on this Feast of the Holy Family.
My answer was: THANK GOD for the GIFT of your family every day!
That was 9 Words……And if you want a tenth Word: AMEN!
Feast of the Holy Family
To watch Fr. Joe’s homily from The Feast of the Holy Family: CLICK HERE!
Here we are a few days after Christmas… This holiday time of the year when we reach out to our families near and far…
And today’s feast of the Holy Family is meant to be our feast too. (I can hear a few people thinking: “Father you do not know my family”) — We’ll get to that in a bit…
One of the readings that is often chosen at weddings is: 1 Corinthians 13. The famous passage, “Love is kind, patient…” — “Love never fails…” Love never Fails… maybe it should read “Love flourishes”.
In the midst of the imperfect and sometimes dysfunctional families we may all be a part of, where are we called to let love flourish with the people we call family; with people we interact with daily.
How can LOVE FLOURISH through our words and actions daily of:
- Kindness
- Respect
- Caring
- Sharing
- Forgiving
- Support
- Faith
- Hope
- Love
Just maybe today we can take a moment or two to recall the way or ways that LOVE does flourish in our lives as person, family and Parish.
And maybe we can find a moment or two to consider an area in each of our lives where we might let LOVE flourish with family and friends, with others every day…
Feast of the Holy Family
To watch Fr. Joe’s homily for The Feast of the Holy Family: CLICK HERE!
Feast of the Holy Family
To watch Fr. Joe’s homily from the Feast of the Holy Family: CLICK HERE!
Today’s Feast of the Holy Family is a reminder that the family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph were not extra ordinary family, but they were the family next door. And Joseph, Mary and Jesus were like our families, they had lots of things to work out during their time together. I am sure there were a few days or nights, when Mary and Joseph wondered about their kid, or Jesus wondered about his parents – who just did not seem to get it.
Today’s Feast reminds us of the importance of family… Like that gift you will always remember getting, our families are a gift to us.
As the late Bishop Desmond Tutu said, “You don’t choose your family. They are God’s gift to you, as you are to them.”
Today’s Feast is meant to be every families Feast.
We may wonder about our family being a holy family, but it is the place where we live our lives in ordinary ways, but it is the place where we live and grow in love of God, love of others and it is the place where we grow in holiness.
Today’s Feast is about your family and all families being and becoming a Holy Family!
Feast of the Holy Family
Scripture Readings: Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14; Colossians 3:12-21; Luke 2:22-40
Years ago there was a book and associated poster that shared: “All I really need to know I learned in Kindergarten.”
For sure, Kindergarten and education is important for our growth as a person, but I would suggest that just maybe, everything we need to know – we should learn from our family.
When I meet with parents for baptism, we always talk about the most important role of parents in raising their child in the practice of the Faith, but also socially, physically, emotionally, educationally, and on it goes.
We learn from the most important people of our families, our parents. Not only in those 20 or so years we live with them, but for all those years we are not living with them.
A couple of weeks ago, two political pundits – brothers – were on TV, some would say discussing, others would say arguing over a certain topic. A listener called in to the show and began to say they should both behave better. To which one of the hosts said: good morning, Mother.
Just a few days ago I was speaking with someone and it was very very obvious, that they were a “committed smoker.” As we spoke, the topic of this person’s excessive smoking came up and the person shared, “Yea, my mother is always telling me to reduce or stop my smoking.” To which I shared, “Maybe you should be listening to your mother.”
Of course, I do not want to overlook Fathers, sometimes even Fathers know best.
Raising and building a family is a joint effort that takes time!
Today’s Feast of the Holy Family is not just something we honor by saying, “What a nice family: Jesus, Mary and Joseph.”
Rather today’s Feast of the Holy Family is a reminder that the Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph were like our families, they had lots of things to work out during their time together. I am sure there were a few days or nights, when Mary & Joseph wondered about their kid or Jesus wondered about his parents – who just did not seem to get it. But amid all those things, they made time for each other and for their faith.
I remember as a kid, that on weekdays we all ate at the non-European hour of 5:00 pm. That was the time my father got home from work. Dinner was not optional, it was mandatory. Dinner may not have lasted more than 30 or 45 minutes, but it was one of the times during the week that we got together. And we even went to Mass together, but did not sit in the same pew. (Since we were in Catholic School, we sat by row by row by grade and of course boys were on one side and girls on the other side of the main aisle.)
So what’s the point this Sunday? Parents, children – spend time together hopefully each day, but certainly each week. Spend time together in prayer – even if it is only at Mass on the weekend.
As Bishop Desmond Tutu said, “You don’t choose your family. They are God’s gift to you, as you are to them.”
Today’s Feast is meant to be every family’s Feast.
Today’s Feast is about your family being and becoming a Holy Family!