December 27, 2009 Holy Family 1 Sam. 1:20-22, 24-28; 1 Jn. 3:1-2, 21-24; Lk. 2:41-52 _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________   Readings:  http://www.usccb.org/nab/122709.shtml   ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________   A family is founded by the marital covenant, when a man and a woman decide to unite themselves for their whole life. From this mutual love that makes a community of persons, new live spring. Wife and husband are procreators, ‘creators’ with God of new human persons. The love between each member of a family is an image of the love between the Three Divine Persons. Among all the human families, there is one that expresses more than any others this Divine Love: this is the Holy Family. The second Person of the Holy Trinity has made visible the invisible things by His Incarnation. And it is precisely within a family that the Word of God was made flesh. In this family, there is an order and there is a hierarchy that express the divine perfections and the love of God. This family has a head: Saint Joseph. And Jesus and Mary are submitted to them and we do not see anywhere that it is a shame for them or a proof of inferiority. It was even the opposite: Jesus, the Incarnate Word, Holy, because God, source of holiness for men, is subject to His parents. The first school of the Lord’s service, where all are trained and educated is the family. It is there, that the children learn the virtues, provided that their parents teach them by their words and acts and first by the example of their own lives. It is in their family that children learn to practice the virtue of obedience that allows them to return to God. But in order to practice the virtue of obedience, they need a leader that guides them toward heaven and teach them how to serve God. The Holy Family was perfectly united, with God and with each other, and thus forms the model of all families to follow. Unfortunately not all families achieve this unity and many families are torn apart, not even getting close to the Holy Family’s level. Nobody should feel excluded. When families are close that is good - but love should go beyond blood relationships to find everyone else. No member of the human family should be outside the family of God. Unity begins and ends with God. The Blessed Trinity is a family of Persons. Unity is perfect with God and loses something in the translation, but in our case it can always be increased or restored.   <<   Previous: Christmas  | Next: Epiphany >>   Go Back to SERMONS (Year C)