The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph Year B - 27/12/2014 - Gospel: Lk 2:22-40
The family school
The family which is between a man and a woman is the very first school you learn from and it teaches you to become a person but more importantly it gives you life and welcomes you into the world. A school gives you the native tongue and passes on the cultures and customs as well as the family beliefs. The family school gives you the traits that your parents received from your grandparents and pass it on to you and people can recognize it in you. The family school shapes your future and behaviour and your hopes and dreams in life. The food you consume at home will change you and it is needed for both physical and spiritual development. Food of the world gives life for this passing world while food God provides gives you eternal life. It is the good spiritual food that gives the true meaning with its purpose in life. It helps you to enjoy the life of this passing world and more importantly it directs you to look for the everlasting life from on high and that is our final destination. The spiritually food is something that the passing world doesn't have to offer but it comes from God through the teaching of Jesus who expects us to love and sharing that love to others.
It is both receiving love and sharing the love of Christ for others that will help our family moves towards the holiness of God. We celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family simply because we want to learn from them and adapt their way of life to be ours. We know that the Holy Family lived not for themselves but for others and above all for the love of God flowing through their daily chores. They surrendered their own hopes and dreams and put God's will before of their own and throughout their lives they were faithful to the will of God through the acts of charity and love. Mary gave up of her single life style and St Joseph committed to Mary as the foster father of Jesus and they taught the baby Jesus to observe the Law of the Lord. Jesus later on made it very clear that I come to do not my own will but the will of God, My Father Jn 6,38. The second characteristic of the Holy Family is the virtue of humility that we would like to learn from. The Holy Family knew that they owned nothing. God was the owner of everything, including their very life on earth and God had full rights to use them according to God's will and for the better glory of God and the benefits of mankind. This generosity manifests through the 'yes' Mary made, through the obedience Joseph accepted at his dreams and through the cross of Jesus.
On this Feast day we thank our parents for giving us the good spiritual food that helps us to enjoy the purpose of life and hope to achieve eternal life when our earthly journey ends.
It is both receiving love and sharing the love of Christ for others that will help our family moves towards the holiness of God. We celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family simply because we want to learn from them and adapt their way of life to be ours. We know that the Holy Family lived not for themselves but for others and above all for the love of God flowing through their daily chores. They surrendered their own hopes and dreams and put God's will before of their own and throughout their lives they were faithful to the will of God through the acts of charity and love. Mary gave up of her single life style and St Joseph committed to Mary as the foster father of Jesus and they taught the baby Jesus to observe the Law of the Lord. Jesus later on made it very clear that I come to do not my own will but the will of God, My Father Jn 6,38. The second characteristic of the Holy Family is the virtue of humility that we would like to learn from. The Holy Family knew that they owned nothing. God was the owner of everything, including their very life on earth and God had full rights to use them according to God's will and for the better glory of God and the benefits of mankind. This generosity manifests through the 'yes' Mary made, through the obedience Joseph accepted at his dreams and through the cross of Jesus.
On this Feast day we thank our parents for giving us the good spiritual food that helps us to enjoy the purpose of life and hope to achieve eternal life when our earthly journey ends.
Written by Fr Vũđình Tường
St Francis Xavier Catholic Parish
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane Australia
St Francis Xavier Catholic Parish
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane Australia