This weekend we will celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family. At my parish church we have a statue of the Holy Family hanging in the gathering space just outside of the worship area. I am very familiar with this statue, because unfortunately, near this statue is where I spent many Sunday masses when my children acted up in church. Frustrated, I would tell my kids, “Do you see how nice Jesus listened to His parents?”
Needless to say, my family is far from perfect. I often find myself repeating certain phrases such as, “We don’t use that word”, “Stop teasing”, “Why would you do that?” And to be fair, my children have a mother who is often more tired than she is patient and understanding. How can we ever become a holy family?
Holy doesn’t mean perfect (thank goodness). Although my family has plenty of imperfect moments, we also have lots of moments where we say, “I’m sorry”, “I forgive you”, and “I love you”. We keep trying to get it right, because deep down, we really do love one another.
“Love one another” is Jesus’ message. It is a message of hope and possibilities. The more we love and care for each other, the closer we come to holiness. As we celebrate the love Jesus, Mary, and Joseph shared, let us remember to ask them to aid us in bringing holy love into our own families.
-Susan
