Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14
Psalm 128
Colossians 3:12-21
Luke 2:41-52
Perhaps what makes a Holy Family is not what we see in the external settings: a nice home, well-dressed people gathered at an abundant table; or what we used to call the Atomic Family with a mom and a dad and 2.5 children that never seem to do anything wrong. Perhaps what makes a Holy Family a reality is when people take what life gives them and live it in faith and hope in God's guidance and care. A Holy Family can be a gathering of close friends or distant relatives, a fellowship group among neighbors, or our own parish family. A Holy Family shares a common bond, a common experience and a common faith in the promises God has made.
Our parish family is a Holy Family. This is true in many ways: True we do not all get along with each other, and like any human group we have our shares of politics, disagreements and divisions. But what makes us holy is our commitment to remain as one in our faith. We gather together for the Sunday Eucharist, we gather for deaths, we gather for celebrations. In our gatherings, we transcend all that divides us, all that demonstrates our differences, as we "become one body, on spirit in Christ."
Maybe a Holy Family is not the perfect family with perfectly political "family values." Maybe a Holy Family is not always bliss. But a Holy Family is what we are called to become each day. We are called to love one another, to share our story, to break bread and drink of the one cup. We are called to gather. Like Jesus, Mary and Joseph, we are called to trust in the promises that God has made from the beginning of time through our struggles, through our joys and through everything that comes our way. As we approach our Golden Jubilee Year in 2003, let us be mindful of the call to be a Holy Family - a family of depth, of love, of intimacy, united in Christ Jesus.
Peace,
Shaun Lowery