HOLY FAMILY MODEL OF ALL FAMILIES
The feast of Christmas is a celebration of a family. A holy family model of all families that is a shining example to all human families. A holy family who decided to do the will of God and brought about the salvation of the world. The family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph is a family that brought much-needed hope, joy, happiness, peace, and love to the troubled world.
The family is the most important nucleon of human society. We all exist because of family. This is why God chose to come into the world through the human family. This is also why the family is under attack from the evil one. The destruction of humanity and its society is only successful with the destruction of the human family. Today, the family is under siege from all sides and angles: – religious, cultural, social, moral, ethical, and economic.
OUR THEMES
The readings of this last Sunday of December and the feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph remain us for the essential elements of family. The family though procreation is the second most important stage of Christian marriage besides conjugal love. Marriage and family have the origin and goal in God.
Marriage and family are acts of faith, trust, and confidence in God. The begotten or procreation of children is through faith and equally surmounting familial difficulties is also through faith.
Family tradition and spirituality are also anchored in parental responsibilities and obligations to instil in the children virtues and guidance not only societal or cultural matters but spiritual matters, growth, and development as well.
FIRST READING: GENESIS 15:1-6; 21:1-3
Abraham received a calling from God with an eternal promise of making him great with a countless number of children. This is promise was delayed but he was hopeful that God is faithful to his covenant with him. And indeed, it was realized despite his age and that of his wife Sarah. Children are marriage and family are gifts and blessings of God.
In Psalm 104, the psalmist reminds us of God´s faithfulness and remembrance to his covenant and promise to Abraham and his descendants forever. A reminder for us to be patient and wait on God for his generous blessings upon us and our family.
SECOND READING: HEBREWS 11:8, 11-12, 17-19
The author of the Book of Hebrews praised the trusting and waiting faith of Abraham our father in faith. In faith, he trusted in God even when there was a delay in the fulfilment of God´s promise. It was with faith he overcame familial and generational obstacles. The conception and sacrifice of his son Isaac were all surmounted through living, practice, and patient faith.
The Gospel: Luke 2:22, 39-40
The Christmas story of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph continues. It is not just the question of collaborating with God´s salvific plan. They are model for a Christian family to live within God´s plan and design. As well as, spiritually and parentally fulfilling their responsibilities and obligations to faith education, values, and virtuous teaching. Remarkably, the Holy Family faithfully obeying God’s law given through Moses concerning the purification of the mother and the redeeming of the child by presenting Mary and the Baby Jesus in the Temple.
The celebration of this feast of the Holy Family invites to reflect on family virtues and values:
1. To model our family after lowly, humbly and simply family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph full of love, grace, and peace.
2. A model of family that makes their home and family the first domestic Church of God´s dwelling presence.
3. Model of mutual respect, understanding, and acceptance of every member of the family.
4. Model of parental responsibility to educate and enrich the lives of their children both in human knowledge and divine or godly knowledge as well as spiritual growth and development.
5. Model in exemplary lifestyle and living, the best Christian testimony of a Christian father and mother as well as godly husband and wife in holiness, sanctification, and faithfulness to God and each other.
6. A model of family that learns to rely on God´s divine providence, intervention, and guidance.
7. Model of forgiveness, love, patience that makes their home a place of fraternal correction than a courtroom of fighting and settling disputes.
8. The Holy Family teaches us that marriage and family are correlated to fulfil God´s divine purpose.
OUR PRAYER
Lord Jesus Christ, You came to us through a family and live and develop to full maturity with a family of PROVIDENT AND CARING FATHER JOSEPH AND HOLY AND DEVOTED MOTHER MARY. You learned the sense of duty, responsibility, obedience and faith practice, and faith living in your family of Nazareth. Help us to live after the example of You, Mary and Joseph and help families under the attack of modernity to have recourse at every moment! May our human families always be a place of peace, love, harmony, mercy, grace, forgiveness, growth and development humanly and spiritually! Amen!
