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The Holy Family Celebration

This weekend we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family. The love of Mary and Joseph and the sacrifices they made for each other, even before Jesus was born, are special and valuable in the memory of the Church. Both of them encountered surprises as they proceeded toward marriage. They adapted. They demonstrated that they were both full of grace and that the Lord had a mission for them, (“The Lord is with you!” = Mission).

Of course, Jesus was born and he matured as he learned from his parents. He also learned from their friends and associates. Jesus was like us in that he heard and saw many people and interactions as a boy. He had to learn and discern from them. Surely, even as a boy he saw people mistreat one another, witnessed racism and discrimination, heard gossip and swear words, saw the Roman authorities oppress the people of Israel, and many other examples of deceit, evil, and violence. He also saw acts of generosity and loving self-sacrifice and witnessed expressions of love and tenderness from his parents and in the larger community. He observed the people’s faith in God. He learned from these experiences, too.

It is important to recognize that Jesus did not become a deceitful, gossiping, racist, and violent person, despite seeing and hearing such things in his youth. And WE cannot justify our misdeeds with the excuse that we had a difficult youth and heard and saw bad things. Jesus is our model. Despite the larger environment in which he grew up, he chose the good, the kind, the loving, and the holy.

The celebration of The Holy Family is a memory of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, SO THAT, we might be inspired by their holiness. How many times did Mary and Joseph need to say to Jesus: “What you saw today (or heard today) is not what we want you to be. We want you to be kind and honest.” That is what parents do. They help their children and young people to interpret the world in which they live. Children do not have the experience or the language to come to accurate conclusions about everything that they encounter. For example, that is why we do not let a five-year old alone to watch a violent movie, or a horror movie. They do not know how to interpret reality from fantasy.

May our families be full of grace, with whom the Lord is present (we have a mission!). May the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph be an inspiration for all of us!

Peace, Fr. Andy