The Feast of the Holy Family

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! I spent a few days with my family, though most of them were sick the whole time, but overall it was a great time. Speaking of family...after celebrating the birth of Jesus, the Catholic Church celebrates the Feast of the Holy Family, the perfect family unit of Mary, Joseph and Jesus.

Spending many days in a row with family can be quite exhausting and frustrating,

My little cousin and I at our family celebration

especially when we forget the reason for the season and get all grumpy. I undoubtedly rolled my eyes many a time throughout the past few days as I was frustrated with someone or someone else was in a bad mood, etc. Today's homily provided me with a great new perspective.

The beginning of the homily this morning essentially pointed out the irony in celebrating the Holy Family in today's world when many of our families are broken in some way, shape or form. Divorce, poverty, death, addiction, and a variety of other ailments cause cracks in our families. It is odd to celebrate a family of perfection when we are all so broken.

But when you think about it, though Mary, Joseph and Jesus were individually perfect, it did not mean that their lives or their family were perfect. This family went through struggles just like any other. They were refugees in a foreign land, Mary became a widow and Jesus lost his earthly father, Jesus was unemployed, so he and Mary faced poverty and hunger. Their lives were not easy. Their family was just as broken as many of ours.

The IC Chapel

Jesus spent all of his time with the broken people. No matter how poor, sick or damaged people were, Jesus gave his life to them and for them, and he does the same for us. When God looks down on us, he doesn't see perfect little families, he sees broken families, just like his. He see us with all of our problems and despite our iniquities, he still loves us.

Why is that? Because when we are faithful, we have a special relationship with God, just like Mary, Joseph, and Jesus all had a special relationship with God. The secret of the Holy Family was their faith and their relationship with God. No matter what struggle they faced, they stayed devoted to their relationship with God and he helped them through it. So the next time your family is together and problems arise, remember your relationship with God and trust that even if he does not make the problem disappear, he will help you through it. 

"This is my family...it is little and broken, but still good. Yeah, still good" ~Stitch, Lilo and Stitch

Pax,

Kay