Growing up, I had an aunt who loved Santa. No matter the season, there were Santa pictures and statues up around her house. It was a Santa explosion at Christmas. For another aunt, it was cows (she and her husband raised them so this made sense). Each time we visited, my siblings and I would see if we could count how many we could find in the house. We always came up with a different number, but it was usually over 100.
As I look around my own home, I have come to realize that perhaps this tendency to theme our house has found its way into my own decorating style. For us, it’s images of the Holy Family. In nearly every room of the house, there is at least one picture or statue of the Holy Family, sometimes two or three. There is something I find so intriguing about this little family, something so beautiful, I can’t help but surround myself and my family with them.
Our Gospel today concludes with actions every good Jewish family did. Mary and Joseph, having fulfilled the prescriptions of the law after having a child, returned back to their home to live their normal lives. There is something mundane and almost anticlimactic about this scene. They did what they were supposed to do and then they went home.
How many Sundays has my family done the same. We go to Mass, fulfilling our Sunday obligation, and then we go home to continue living our normal lives. There is a catch, however. The last line of today’s Gospel tells us that “The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom, and the favor of God was upon him.” While Mary, Joseph, and Jesus did lead everyday ordinary lives in these days, something special and unique was still at work in their home.
They lived in perfect accordance with God’s Will. Mary, being immaculate and without sin, had united herself fully to God’s Will when she offered her fiat, her yes to participate in His plan for salvation. Joseph, though not immaculate, was especially chosen by God to accompany Mary and Jesus, which he did with his whole heart. Jesus, in His humanness, obediently learned from Mary and Joseph how to love God and love life.
They lived in harmony, even when their life was difficult. They lived in unity, while each being their own unique persons. They lived to serve God and to fulfill His every desire and commandment. These are the things I want said about my own family. When I look at the various images I have of the Holy Family, I am reminded of the love they shared and their willingness to put God first above all things, even on the most ordinary days of the week.
Daily Reading
Memorial of Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen, Bishops and Doctors of the Church
Readings for the Memorial of Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen, Bishops and Doctors of the Church Reading 1 1 John 2:22-28 Beloved: Who is the liar? Whoever denies…
Saint of the Day
Saint Basil the Great
Saint Basil the Great (330-379) was a prominent early Christian bishop, theologian, and monastic leader known for combating Arianism and his contributions to Eastern Christianity.
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