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On this feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, we recognize that our families become blessed when we welcome Christ into our hearts and homes.
The Adoration of the Shepherds, Durante Alberti (1538-1613), Chiesa Nuova, Rome. The photo is my own.
The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph knew blessings and burdens as they faced the ups and downs of life. Their example inspires us to engage our faith as we live within the context of our families today.
Here are some of the themes that we find in the Mass readings for the feast of the Holy Family.
1st Reading – Sirach 3:2-7,12-14
God sets a mother and father in authority over their children.
God exhorts children to honor their parents, when they are frail and elderly.
Psalm 128:1-5
“Blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways.”
Those who follow the Lord will have prosperity at work and at home.
2nd Reading – Colossians 3:12-21
With grateful hearts we put on virtue in all our dealings with the people we meet.
Within the family, husbands, wives, and children honor and respect one another.
Gospel – Luke 2:22-40
Joseph and Mary present Jesus in the Temple, where they encounter Simeon and Anna, who give praise to God for the child and prophesy that he will bring salvation to the people.
The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph offers us an example of family life and inspires us to reach out to our own families with the love of the Lord.
On this feast of the Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we see how God worked through the Holy Family, and recognizing how the Lord works through our own.
The Gospel of Luke recounts how Jesus is reunited with Mary and Joseph after they searched for three days to find him. May our families also be reunited with the Lord in “his Father’s house” as we encounter Christ in prayer and sacrament.
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