Consecrating our Family

Holy Family Sunday
December 31, 2006
St. Andrew’s Parish

Today’s Mass, coming a few days after Christmas, reminds us that Jesus, our Saviour, was born into a family. And this gives inspiration to the human family, the basic unit of society. We all have come from a family - we have different family stories, upbringings, we have unique childhood memories, the way our parents brought us up. Each of us comes from this basic unity of society called “family.”

As we grow older we come to realise the complexities of human family – the joy and sadness of family relationships. We experience the joy of welcoming a newly born baby in our family. We know the sadness of losing family members. We hear from other people or we experience ourselves the pain of broken relationships, family break-ups, divorce, misunderstanding, rebellious children, and so on.

Today is the feast of the Holy Family, and this gives inspiration to our family, and to every Christian family. The Holy Family ofcourse is unique. The child is God, the mother is sinless, and the father is a saint, no wonder they are called holy family.

Mary, Joseph and Jesus model for us the life of the Holy Family.

Joseph is a model of a faithful and caring father. Joseph exhibited great trust in God and demonstrated intense devotion and love in caring for Mary and Jesus. Scripture does not quote a single word of Joseph, and yet his actions speak volumes of a strong man devoted to God and family.

Mary is a model of a very understanding, loving and religious mother. Mary showed tremendous faith in God and trusted in God's love for her. As wife, she helped Joseph in his quest for holiness. As mother, she cared for Jesus with great love and tenderness.
Both Mary and Joseph created the environment which allowed Jesus to grow in wisdom and age and favor before God and other people.

Jesus is a model of obedient child. He was obedient to Mary and Joseph and obviously loved them both very much. And, out of great love for his Father and for us, he was obedient to all that God asked of him, including death on a cross.

The first reading we have today contains wise advice on how to lead a life pleasing to God within the family unit. Namely it insists on mutual respect in the relationship between parents and children. St. Paul at the second reading spoke of ourselves as God’s children, we belong to God’s family. We are reminded of the great love that the Father has given us: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believers in Him may not perish but may have eternal life." It is this free gift, undeserved by us sinners, that has made it possible "that we be called children of God."

The relevance of the feast of the Holy Family, in reference to the Gospel readings was the words of Jesus to her mother when he was found in the temple: "Why did you search for me? Did you not know I had to be in my Father's house?" ( Luke 2:49b). His relationship with his Father transcends his relationship with his human family.

Jesus loves his parents, but his top priority is the God the Father, his priority is to obey the will of the Father, not only for his sake but for the sake of humanity.

What is your priority for your family?

Does our family have a space for God’s peace, forgiveness and understanding?

Let us pray that the God will be part of our family that we will have an environment of holiness, like Jesus had with Mary and Joseph.

If we bring God as the top priority in our life, it would not be difficult for each member of the family to resist the bombardment of secular values, materialism, lack of forgiveness and understanding. Let us create a religious environment in our family by praying together, going to Church every Sunday, to inculcate to our children the importance of Christian faith and values. The problem is not time. We could find time, the problem is our priority. The environment of holiness itself is the protection of our families in today from the onslaught of values foreign to Christian outlook and understanding.

Let our family be a sanctuary of love, joy, peace and harmony.




Source: http://www.liturgy.slu.edu/