family

We are inclined to dismiss the possibility that our families can be like the Holy Family. We forget that Jesus’ family was holy because they lived united to God. Every family is far from the ideal because every family is made of unique individuals with their positive qualities and their negative quirks. If you think your family is strange, you’re right. Your family is strange, but so are you. And my family is strange, and so am I. All families have their positive and negative aspects.

Being a holy Christian family means being a family separate for the Lord. To be holy means to be set distinct from all that is not holy. So for our families to be holy we have to choose that which is often contrary to the choices made by other families. For example, we keep immoral material, shows, etc. out of our houses because we ask God to dwell there. At the same time we have to be very careful of where your children are visiting or staying overnight because other families might allow immorality into their homes, or, simply, not supervise their own children.

Being a holy Christian family demands that our homes be places of prayer. The Church, at least our country, is still suffering from the misconception that worship takes place only on Sundays and in the churches and the religious instruction is the exclusive realm of parish programs. We come to Church on Sundays to be united to Christ in Word and Sacrament so that we can strengthen the union that takes place in our home.

The heart of the universal church is not the Vatican or Scranton. The heart of the church is the family. We pray today that all our families might be holy families.

Today our Church celebrates the Solemnity of Christian Family to commemorate the great meaning of the family in society and in the Church of Christ. In these days, sad to say, we see the family taking a lesser and lesser role in the rearing of our children. The modern trend is to let the nursery schools, the preschools assume the responsibility of teaching children. St. Paul reminds us in his letter to Ephesians: “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother.” This means that children should obey their mothers and fathers as they would obey Christ.

The Christian family is truly a wonderful gift from God and that family are today can do anything but commonplace. Just as families are different, the needs of those members of the family are different. Being a Christian family is not the easiest way to lead our lives, but it is the most righteous. It requires truth. It requires work. It requires struggle and sacrifice. It requires these elements if we are to succeed a happy Christian family.