“Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt.”
What a dream! Or was it a nightmare? To be commanded to take flight, like refugees in the night, to have a newborn baby and no time to pack or plan – all this must have been frightening to say the least. Joseph was no stranger to life-changing dreams though. He had already been told in a dream to take Mary as his wife, even though she was with child. And now God was asking him to change course again.
Few of us have dreams like Joseph did, but we do share with him the challenge of reconciling our plans with the hard facts of reality. When things don’t go our way, we can respond like the Holy Family, recognizing an opportunity to deepen our faith in God’s providence. Their faith in God was like a spiritual compass that kept them oriented in the most unfamiliar circumstances.
Being mindful of the family as the most significant societal unit is central to the church’s mission. Pope Francis recognized the family as the model for universal fraternity:
Society benefits when each person and social group feels truly at home. In a family, parents, grandparents and children all feel at home; no one is excluded. If someone has a problem, even a serious one, even if he brought it upon himself, the rest of the family comes to his assistance; they support him. His problems are theirs… In families, everyone contributes to the common purpose; everyone works for the common good, not denying each person’s individuality but encouraging and supporting it. They may quarrel, but there is something that does not change: the family bond. Family disputes are always resolved afterwards. The joys and sorrows of each of its members are felt by all. That is what it means to be a family! If only we could view our political opponents or neighbors in the same way that we view our children or our spouse, mother or father! How good would this be!
More recently, at the celebration of Holy Mass for the Jubilee of Families, Children, Grandparents, and the Elderly, Pope Leo said,
In the family, faith is handed on together with life, generation after generation. It is shared like food at the family table and like the love in our hearts. In this way, families become privileged places in which to encounter Jesus who loves us and desires our good, always.
The church gives us this solemn feast day, celebrating the Holy Family in the days after Christmas, so that we might be mindful of the role of the family in the incarnation of the savior. Family life is not easy. It faces many challenges and sometimes painful moments, but it is amid the family that we find Christ. In the pursuit of family holiness, we are modeling for the world the necessary fraternity that we are called to have for all of our brothers and sisters in the human family.
THANK YOU – We have once again witnessed a true generosity of heart throughout the weeks of Advent. Thank you to all who participated in the Outreach Blessing bags as well as the Advent Angels and CYO Christmas Gift Giving programs. The recipients of our own community and beyond are very grateful. In a special way, I thank the Family Mass Committee, CYO coordinator Lucy Weyer, Ann Hedgis, Sister Carol Radosti and all the volunteers whose dedicated efforts made the distribution of your generosity possible.
I also thank all who have helped us to worship well this Christmas. We are blessed with dedicated staff and volunteers who have prepared the church for the Christmas liturgies. Thank you to John Buckel and all the Music Ministry participants who have provided us with beautiful Christmas music and also throughout the Advent Season. We thank the Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, Lectors, Ushers, and Altar Servers for their extra efforts, and lastly, I express my gratitude to our pastoral team, administrative staff, and my brother priests and deacons whose faith and leadership cultivate the mission of the church so well.
Peace,
