Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph (December 31, 2023)
As we reflect on the Holy Family today, the Church offers us Scripture readings that emphasize faithfulness, trust in the promises of God, and loving obedience.
All the people involved in today’s readings are faith-filled:
- Abraham who is our father in faith
- Sarah, a woman beyond child-bearing age, who believes what God has told her husband
- Mary and Joseph who come to the Temple to fulfill the requirements of God’s Law
- Simeon who has been waiting long years to see the Christ
- And Anna, a widow who has spend many hours in the Temple fasting and praying
Each of them has put his/her trust in the promise of God:
- Abraham and Sarah in God’s promise that their descendents would be as numerous as the stars in the sky
- Mary and Joseph in the promise of the angel, the messenger of God
- Simeon, in the promise that he would see the Messiah
- And Anna who was waiting for the redemption of Israel.
And all of them lived their lives in loving obedience to the God who loved them.
All these women and men offer us an example about living, especially family living. Their example of faithfulness, trust and loving obedience gives us a pattern for living together each day. Our Holy Father has encouraged all of us to be eager about living our faith and sharing it with others around us. We do this best within our own family, encouraging each other to be faith-filled, just and peaceable each day.
After the example of Joseph, Mary and Jesus, and Abraham, Sarah and Isaac, may we embrace the challenge they offer us. May we live a holier life within our own family, and in our wider family of faith, the Church. Through us, may the world around us come to know in a deeper way that we have a Savior who is Christ the Lord.
May our God be praised!
