The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph

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The Feast of the Holy Family.

I have to be honest, I’m intimidated by the word Holy. Add family to it and I think ‘why would anyone ask me to offer a reflection on THE Holy Family’?!

I’ve reflected a lot on my family as I contemplated what I could possibly say. The family of my youth, being a daughter and sister, the adult years of being a wife, mother, in-law and grandmother, my family of faith, friends that became my family. We all belong to a family of some sort, traditional and the not-so-traditional. We are all members of the human family.

It would be so easy to say that I have one of those picture-perfect Christmas card, have it all together families. Nope, we’re messy. But if you asked me what I would change, my response would be nothing, not one messy thing.

How do we model the Holy Family? Those standards seem pretty high. How does any family, any person, emulate the traits of the Holy Family with such perfect examples of Mary, who knew no sin, Jesus, human and divine, Joseph, a saint. 

In today’s reading, Colossians teaches us how we can model the Holy Family:

 

Put on, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved,
heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience,
bearing with one another and forgiving one another, …
And over all these put on love, 
that is, the bond of perfection.
And let the peace of Christ control your hearts, 
the peace into which you were also called in one body.
And be thankful.

Love for God was the cornerstone of the Holy Family. Out of love came the virtues of respect, acceptance and forgiveness.

Family is unconditional love, respect, acceptance and forgiveness. It’s easy to choose to be together when it’s fun and easy, but being family means we are also committed when it is hard, inconvenient, challenging, and difficult.

There are many ways we can follow the lead of the Holy Family in our lives right now… we are called to heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another, and over all to LOVE one another.

May we all love one another with the peace of Christ in our hearts calling us to be one Holy Family!

Marija Wierzbicki

Director of Advancement Services

SFC Parent