The HOLY FAMILY and the DOMESTIC CHURCH

On this, the Sunday within the Octave of Christmas, we honor the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph.  The Feast has its origins in the 17th century when devotion to the Holy Family was quite strong, but today’s feast was instituted by Pope Leo XIII in 1893 and was extended to the whole Roman Church by Pope Benedict XV in 1921. In honoring the Holy Family, we also honor all families, big or small.  And in honoring all families, we honor the family of God, the Church.  But most especially, we focus in on the hidden, day-to-day life of the Holy Family of Nazareth.

St. John Paul II once reflected on the Holy Family, how it sanctifies families and what we can learn from meditating upon the life that Jesus, Mary and Joseph shared together in Nazareth. “For every believer, and especially for Christian families, the humble dwelling place in Nazareth is an authentic school of the Gospel. Here we admire and put into practice the divine plan to make the family an intimate community of life and love; here we learn that every Christian family is called to be a small "domestic church" that must shine with the Gospel virtues,” said St. John Paul II to the crowd. “Recollection and prayer, mutual understanding and respect, personal discipline and community asceticism and a spirit of sacrifice, work and solidarity are typical features that make the family of Nazareth a model for every home.”

What was it like to live day in and day out in the household of St. Joseph?  What was it like to have Jesus for a son, Mary as a wife and mother, and Joseph as a father and husband?  Their home would have certainly been a sacred place and a dwelling of true peace and unity.  But it would have also been so much more. In the family life of Mary and Joseph, God is truly at the centre, and He is so in the Person of Jesus. This is why the Family of Nazareth is holy. Because it is centered on Jesus. When parents and children together breathe in this climate of faith, they have an energy that allows them to face even difficult trials. The family home of Jesus, Mary and Joseph would have been, in numerous ways, just like any other home.  They would have related together, talked, had fun, disagreed, worked, eaten, dealt with problems, and encountered everything else that makes up daily family life.

Of course, the virtues of Jesus and Mary were perfect, and St. Joseph was a truly “just man.”  Therefore, the overriding characteristic of their home would have been love.  But with that said, their family would not have been exempt from daily toil, hurt and challenges that face most families.  For example, they would have encountered the death of loved ones, St. Joseph most likely passed away prior to Jesus’ public ministry.  They would have encountered misunderstanding and gossip from others.  Our Blessed Mother, for example, was found with child out of wedlock.  This would have been a topic of discussion among many acquaintances for sure.  They would have had to fulfill all daily chores, earn a living, put food on the table, attend gatherings of family and friends and the like.  They would have lived normal family life in every way.

This is significant because it reveals God’s love for family life.  The Father allowed His Divine Son to live this life and, as a result, elevated family life to a place within the Trinity.  The holiness of the Holy Family reveals to us that every family is invited to share in God’s divine life and to encounter ordinary daily life with grace and virtue.

Reflect, today, upon your own family life.  Some families are strong in virtue, some struggle with basic communication.  Some are faithful day in and day out, some are broken and deeply wounded.  No matter the case, know that God wants to enter more deeply into your family life just as it is right now.  He desires to give you strength and virtue to live as the Holy Family.  Surrender yourself and your family, this day, and invite the Triune God to make your family a holy family.

And let us pray: Lord, I do offer myself to You this day and in doing so I offer You my family.  I offer every relationship, be it good or difficult, and I offer every challenge we face.  Please come and sanctify my family, making it holy in imitation of your family in Nazareth.  Jesus, I trust in You.