A Holy Family

Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph Sunday, December 29, 2024

1 Sm 1:20-22, 24-28 Ps 84:2-3, 5-6, 9-10. 1 Jn 3:1-2, 21-24 [Acts 16:14b] Lk 2:41-52

Who here has a cell phone with a camera?  Almost all of us. Who here used their cell phone camera, or some other camera to take a family photo during the holidays for Thanksgiving and/or Christmas?  Who here was in one of these photos being taken? Did some of these photos include extended family members, or friends who are considered part of the family? How many of you shared one or more of these photos on social media [Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, X], or sent them to loved ones via text or email? What were some of the comments you received?  - Lovely picture(s)!  - Beautiful family!  - What a beautiful picture of your family!  - Such a lovely family! Or something along those lines? Did anyone receive a comment of “a holy family?” [pause] [slowly raising my hand] I did. [pause] And when I read it, I had to stop and think about it.  I’m not perfect, and neither is my family, far from it.  However, the comment was not “what a perfect family” but rather “a holy family.”

What does the word “holy” mean?  It does not mean perfect.  The word “holy” comes from the Hebrew word “Kadosh” which means “to be set apart” or distinct from the rest.  The Jewish people were not perfect, but they were set apart by God as part of His perfect and divine plan for our salvation.  The prophet Samuel was not a perfect person, but as we read in our first reading today, he was set apart for a special purpose, and so Hannah gave him to Eli and said he shall be dedicated to the Lord.  God sets each and every one of us apart for a special purpose.

Today we celebrate the Feast of The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.  Let me repeat that:  Today we celebrate the Feast of The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.  We are not celebrating the Feast of The Perfect Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, but rather The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph; to which we are all a part of.  We are all members of the Body of Christ, and as we hear in our second reading from the First Letter of John, because God the Father has bestowed on us his love, we may be called children of God.  By virtue of Christ’s sacrifice for us, we have become God’s adopted children, making Jesus our brother, God our Heavenly Father, and Mary our Spiritual Mother. 

And though we are part of the family of God, our attention today is on “The” Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, all of whom are examples of how we are each called to live out a Holy life, set apart from all the rest.  That been said, being holy does not mean being perfect, after all, Mary and Joseph did not realize Jesus was not with the caravan for an entire day, and it took them three days to find him in the temple.  Which filled them with great anxiety.  Of course, Jesus was twelve years old at the time, just one year away from his bar mitzvah, and most likely Mary and Joseph gave him great flexibility with being able to be on his own, including choosing whether to travel with mom or dad in the caravan, or to travel with other family members, or with his friends.  But instead of choosing to travel with the caravan, he chose to stay behind and choose a greater good; to be in His Father’s house amidst the teachers listening to them and asking them questions.  His human nature being drawn to live out and fulfil what his divine nature already knew he was set apart to do.  And after this event, he continued to advance in wisdom, age, and favor before God and man.

In my Diaconate Formation our instructor for Moral Theology, Fr. Henke, made it very clear that every choice we make, every decision we make, everything we do or don’t do has a moral implication.  Morality is not simply about choosing between good and evil [right and wrong], but it can also be about choosing between evil and a lesser evil, or about choosing between good and a greater good.  Much like Jesus in this story chose the greater good of remaining in His Father’s House, the Temple in Jerusalem; Mary and Joseph are also great examples for us on consistently choosing not just between good and evil, but in choosing between good and a greater good.

Mary chose the greatest good in saying yes to the Angel Gabriel to conceive and be the mother of God; and she chose the greater good to go and visit her cousin Elizabeth in the hill country, who at an elderly age was 6 months pregnant.  Joseph initially chose a greater good in quietly and secretly divorcing Mary to spare her life from the prescription of the law of being stoned to death, and then later chose and even greater good after the Angel Gabriel encouraged him in a dream to take Mary as his wife and adopt Jesus as his son.  And he continued to choose the greater good by taking the family to Egypt to protect them from King Herod.  All of which were actions that were not easy to do.  Doing the greater good, often means doing something that is much more difficult and not easy to do.  But doing so is what sets us apart, what makes us holy.

In consistently choosing the greater good, each year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, part of their cultural tradition.  In my family, my grandmother at the age of 12 started celebrating Las Posadas each year in Advent with a nine-day Novena from December 16th to the 24th, a tradition that has been part of our family now for approximately 107 years, and something we, Bonnie, Alyssa, Charity, and I have not fully participated in for many years.  Growing up, it was something my parents made sure we never missed, and every year we would participate in all nine days.  This year, Charity was moved with the Holy Spirit and asked if we could do all nine days of the Posada as a family, and though we did not have to do them, we as a family chose to do the greater good and we were able to do all nine days of the Novena this year.  By doing so, we became a little bit holier.

Similarly, when we look at the Old Testament, especially at the Book of Leviticus, we can see that “as the Israelites’ image of God developed, so did their sense of how they needed to live as God’s people.  As God’s chosen people, they felt called to behave according to God’s plan for them by keeping themselves pure as individuals and as a community.  The laws in the Book of Leviticus are examples of how they lived out the call to be holy.  For them, holiness was not just for the Sabbath or the Temple but for every day and everything.  Think about the choices we make in the following areas.  How do our choices help us to be holy as God is holy?”

·         What we eat Is what I’m eating healthy for me?  Am I overeating?

·         What we watch What is the rating of the movie or show I am watching?  Why is it rated that way?  How is it influencing me and my beliefs and values?

·         What we wear Does what I wear honor my human dignity?  Does what I wear cause others temptation?

·         What we buy I’m I buying more than what I need?  I’m I simply purchasing to fulfil a desire as opposed to fulfil a need?

·         What we listen to Is what I’m listening to positive and uplifting?  What images does it bring to mind; are they good and holy?

·         How we relate to other people Do I call people by name and treat them with respect?

As this year comes to a close, and we begin to think about our New Year’s Resolution, let us reflect on The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, and let us think about how we can follow their example of being Holy by making an effort in not simply choosing between good and evil, right and wrong, but also choosing to grow in wisdom and holiness by choosing the greater good like:

·         Choosing to do an hour of Eucharistic Adoration once a week [or an extra hour].

·         Choosing to attend daily Mass whenever possible.

·         Choosing to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation more frequently, like once a month.

·         Choosing to attend the Catholic Men or the Catholic Women for Christ Conference.

·         Choosing to eat dinner together as a family with no electronic devices.

·         Choosing to pray the Rosary as a family.

·         Choosing to listen daily to one of the following podcasts:

o   Bible Timeline in a year.

o   Catechism of the Catholic Church in a year.

o   The Holy Rosary in a year.

·         Choosing to join a ministry in our Parish.

·         Choosing to volunteer at the Care Service or with some other charitable organization.

Just to name a few.

Remember, we are already chosen and set apart by God, and we are already sons and daughters of the Most High God.  Now let us choose to live out our call to holiness.