Deacon Larry

 

Holy Family

Sir 3: 2-6, 12-14; Col 3: 12=21; Mt 2: 13-15, 19-23

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

There’s an old saying that goes something like this:  “Everyone’s greatest blessing is also their greatest curse”.  I’ll bet that sometimes you might feel that way about your own family.  Because our greatest joys come from our family; like the feeling you had when you fell in love with your spouse; or experiencing the birth of your child; or the joy on the faces of children on Christmas Morning.  But our families can also be the source of our greatest suffering: like the loss of a loved one; or when our children leave us; or when a relationship begins to sour.   

You know, the family unit is God’s plan for humans.  God could have made us like ferns.  Ferns are self sufficient and self propagating.  They don’t need moms and dads.  But humans need a family to survive and propagate.  We are made in the image and likeness of God, and God is a Trinity.  Our families are like the trinity- Moms, Dads, and children, three distinct parts.  Each has their own role; each is dependent on the other.  Sirach talks about those roles, and the respect that is due to each person in the family- respect due to Fathers, Mothers, and Children.  And love is the centerpiece of those mutual relations between the members of a family.   

Today we celebrate the feast of the Holy Family.  It is our Parish Feast Day, because our Parish is Holy Family.  I am certain that very many of us celebrated Christmas as a Family- an extended Family that includes 4, even 5 generations.  This is how it should be, because all of our family shares in the gift of the Incarnation, how God became man, and the salvation of humanity that comes with it.  All of us should share in that joy with members of our family.    But sometimes, when families gather, there is strife.  It is part of the curse I talked about earlier.  The strife may be over old grudges that surfaced; or nagging that reminded us of frequent nagging in the past.  Or the strife might be fueled by jealousy or hurt over some part of the gift giving.  Somebody might be upset that they got light chocolates rather than dark chocolates; or Tommy’s toy is more in vogue than Dick’s; or this sweater is just not something I could ever wear.  In any event, today is a good time to put all that strife aside, and focus on the Christian Family.   

First, we need to recall that our Advent experience was over joyful expectation of the coming of Christ- not just the Christ Child- but the second coming of Christ as well.  At that second coming, all of us will be judged.  So, while we are rejoicing over the promise of our salvation that is made so very real by the birth of the Savior; we need to recognize that a big responsibility comes with that promise.  All of us now need to be ready for that second coming by living the life of a Christian.   

Now our families are our first and most important influence on who we become as people.  Parents and Grandparents are the first and most memorable teachers of children.  If they don’t teach by taking an active role, then their avoidance of teaching their children effectively teaches any way.  In the second reading, St Paul gives us incredible and succinct insight on what it takes to be a Christian:  “Put on, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another if one has a grievance against another”; and then later he says “Over all of these put on love, that is, the bond of perfection”.  Indeed, these are the ingredients that all members of a family need to embrace.   

Nobody is perfect- no Mom or Dad or Child.  And when we perceive that somebody has hurt us, we need to draw from Paul’s list of virtues rather than react.  I know that is hard, because just like every one else here, people in my own family have done things that hurt me.  I really wanted those dark chocolates, you know!  But, I have also done things that hurt as well.  If I want to be forgiven, and even expect to be forgiven; then I have to forgive as well.  That’s why Paul’s list of virtues is so important.  And even more critically important is that these virtues be practiced in our own families.  Because children are watching what their parents do, and that is how they will behave.  Likewise, our neighbors are watching what we do; and if we don’t reflect our professed Christianity, that is not likely to be a positive influence on them.   

There is no better example of the effect of hate, rather than love, than the story in today’s Gospel.  Herod’s jealousy and hate had no limits.  He was willing to inflict incredible pain on many, many families by killing all the infants in the area in order to be sure that the ancient prophesy of a Messiah was not fulfilled.  That hatred spawned incredible evil and suffering over many.  It is no different for us.  When we hate, the tentacles spread wide and in many unforeseen ways.  But love, no matter how hard it may be to practice, it can permeate the human spirit and propagate as well.  So, remember this when you gather as a family:  “Over all of these put on love.”   

This entry was posted on Sunday, December 26th, 2010 at 11:49 pm and is filed under Holy Family Sunday Homilies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.