THE FEAST of the HOLY FAMILY (FIRST SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS)

             The Feast  of the Holy Family  (First  Sunday after Christmas)

Jesus parents were upset when he was missing and when they found him were astonished  but it didn’t diminish their anxiety.  It was interesting that in the Mediterranean culture the father would have been the one to speak. Yet it was Mary who spoke, and Jesus answer was not what was expected of a child at that time.  They didn’t understand his answer and yet treasured in their heart his answer until they would understand that doing what God was asking  is always to be first not what we want.

The  radical commitment that Jesus teaching will later demand of his hearers he as the child Jesus enacts.  He lets us know at this young age that listening to God is the priority. Despite this event Jesus had love and respect for his parents and is an example for all of us when we think we might “know it all”, but he was always open to Gods leading.

God didn’t create our differences by accident, it is to learn how to listen to those differences and be able to compromise, tolerate, honor God and each other and unite us all in this  love.

We have to get our ego’s out of the way and truly humbly do what God is asking. This is hard because we always think we are doing the “right thing”.

God created  us to be  a community, we are all equal.  Yes, we may have “titles” such as president, spouse, lay leader, priest, bishop, child, and the titles go on.

But the most important is that we are all different but  that does not make us better than the other or higher than the other, we are all equal.  We all have gifts that are needed for true community.  Truly listening with the ear of our hearts to one another, no matter who is speaking is what God is calling us to do.

God has infused all of us with divine love, it is within all of us.  We have the power to live in family and community in spite of our differences.  We have been infused with the wisdom to overcome our pride and ego’s.   We have that divine power within not to turn our backs on those who do not think as we do.

We can welcome them with patience and love. 

God is for everyone and wants us to be one. 

Mary and Joseph whose lives in the beginning was very normal but soon was changed.  We too have to realize that life is constantly changing, and nothing stays exactly the same.  Learning to adapt and think outside the box is a gift.  That is the only way we can grow as a family, a community. 

We are so blessed with this loving giving community and that is our treasure and we have demonstrated that we receive new ideas with that same love and giving. 

God is radically inclusive not looking at our actions but our commitment to  God’s will.  It is not always perfect, it is about our love and concern for one another. When in conflict we listen to one another with honest input love and understanding and are able to come to a consensus.  Fear of something different is a danger in our growth as community.   Out of love we learn how to make the best of all situations, and this will unite us.  This will bring us closer.

Like the Holy Family we too will continue to grow in wisdom age and favor .

We are blessed.  AMEN!

+Michael Theogene