Today is the Feast of the Holy Family and the fourth day of Christmas. This is a very good opportunity for all of us to reflect on the image and the example of the Holy Family. As Jesus is the center of the Holy Family, we need to constantly strive to make Him the center of all our families. He is the Son of God, and we are all the children of God and brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ. We look to the Jesus, who is the Word of God made flesh, in order that we may come to know the Father and the great love and mercy He has for all of us. Jesus is God made man, the Incarnation, and this reveals the love and humility of God because He chose to become one of us in all things except sin. In Jesus, God is with us always especially in the sacraments, the Word of God, the Church, and through our prayers.
It is important for us to look to Jesus, Mary and Joseph as examples and guides of what it means to do God’s will in all things. The Holy Family surrendered themselves to the will of God so that we might know the love of God in our own lives. We are called to do the same thing for one another by striving to do the will of God in our daily lives. In this we can be witnesses to God’s love and help others to know His presence and His love in all things.
The Holy Family is a beautiful example to all of us of God’s love. The love that binds the Holy Family together is the love of God Himself and so it should be in our own families. Families are bound by much more than flesh and blood. Families are bound together by the love of God which calls them to love one another and to allow that love to spill over into a great love for others especially the poor and the homeless.
On this feast of the family, we pray for all families to know the love of God and to share that love with one another in the daily sacrifices we make for our families knowing that our sacrifices are truly an imitation of the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross; a total gift of self that witnesses to the love that God has for each of us.
The Christmas Season continues for 12 days even though the stores and the media might say to all that Christmas is over and done because December 25th has come and gone. Nothing could be further from the truth. The coming of Christ into the world is THE EVENT in the history of the entire universe. Such an event could never be celebrated in the confines of one day, so we have 12 days to celebrate and remember how close God is to us. He is with us; He is Emmanuel. Prayer, the sacraments, and the Word of God remind us of just how close God is to all of us at each moment. The more time we make for these things in our daily lives the more we remember how close God is to us and that can truly bring us and others the comfort, joy, and strength we so desire and look for in the world today.
Remember New Year’s Day is the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God and it is a HOLY DAY OF OBLIGATION, which means we must participate at Mass that day or its vigil. To miss Mass through our own fault on Sunday or a holy day of obligation is a matter for confession BEFORE one may receive Holy Communion again. Masses are Wednesday at 5PM and Thursday at 9 and 11 AM.
I THANK GOD FOR ALL OF YOU: Thank you to everyone who made this Christmas Season such a beautiful celebration for our parish community. The church looked as beautiful as ever. The music was inspiring and reflective of this great feast. I am grateful to those who decorated the church inside and out, to all our parish musicians and choirs, to our ushers, lectors, extra ordinary ministers of Holy Communion, altar servers, and our collection counters. I am especially grateful to our pastoral staff and our parish office staff for their hard work and devotion to God and our parish community. There are always extra duties during the Christmas Season, and I know it demands more of many people, but I am very proud of our parish because so many of you are willing to help and that makes it a little easier for all of us. So, again, I thank all of you and may God bless you and your loved ones abundantly in the New Year.
Fr. Joe Robinson and I are also personally grateful to all of you who sent cards, Christmas cookies, candies, and gifts to us and to the parish staff. Your kindness and generosity are greatly appreciated. I am always impressed and inspired by the generosity of our parish, especially toward the poor. The Giving Tree this year supplied many gifts to those who would have otherwise received nothing. Your generosity is a great witness to the love of God and His care for all His children. Again, our St. Vincent de Paul Society is to be commended for their service to our brothers and sisters in need. They did an outstanding job gathering your generous donations together and getting them to those who needed them. May God bless all of you for your kindness and generosity.
