The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, Year B
You can’t expect to be on a championship team if you aren’t willing to give it all you’ve got…. plus some. Anyone who’s played sports or whose kids are athletes has heard the coach say, “Give me 120%”!!! Those who want to make the team bad enough will strive to increase their performance so they can achieve their goal. Our human nature is such that we will do whatever it takes to get whatever we want, if, that is, we want it bad enough.
St Paul’s Letter to the Colossians envisions a quality of life so desirous that we are willing to give everything we’ve got, plus some, to attain it. He is giving us incredible insight on how to live wholesome, faith-filled lives rooted in the gospel of Jesus Christ, a life that yields peace, thankfulness, gratitude and harmony for ourselves and those with whom we share our lives, starting with our own family.
Paul is creating within us the desire to be God’s family. He is giving us the image of what it is like to accept this generous invitation. In a world that was brutal, suspicious, violent, insensitive, uncaring, (gee, it seems nothing has changed!) Paul offers a vision of hope that flows from our identity of being a part of God’s family. He says, “Put on heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. (We must) bear with one another…forgive one another…settle disputes justly”. What an alternative vision compared to the harsh world around them and the world around us today. Is it any wonder why Christianity grew so rapidly?
“I have set before you life and death”, we read in the Book of Deuteronomy. “Choose life”, we are commanded. That life that we are called to imitate is modeled after the Holy Family. That is where Jesus came to know and experience the love of a mother and of a father. That is where Jesus came to know of God’s love for Him. Amid the day-to-day life of the Holy Family, Jesus’ conscience was shaped, His love and dependency on God fashioned, His love for God’s Holy People realized. In the safety and security of the Holy Family, Jesus was able to discern the Father’s call.
As we celebrate this Feast of the Holy Family, let us strive to create an environment for our children and one another that is healthy, safe, loving, respectful, joy-filled, generous, and full of laughter. Let us give our children and one another the space and atmosphere where we can all come to know God’s love, hear His call, and grow together as His children, members of God’s Holy Family.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Deacon Tom
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