The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph

The readings for today can be found here.


Today we celebrate the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Certainly this family wasn't the one that Mary and Joseph had each imagined in their youth. Joseph must have imagined that his wife would bear his children, and many of them. Mary must have though the same thing. This feast day demonstrates to us, that no matter how we imagine life at its ideal, God has something much, much greater planned.

Mary, young and faithful to the Lord, would have been a casualty in the society she lived in had Joseph not married her. She would have been stoned as an adulterer. Joseph could have married her and divorced her quietly as he had planned. However, an angel appeared to Joseph and told him the truth of God's plan for him. He was to take Mary and protect her, and protect the child Jesus that came from God. By Joseph's obedience to God, he enabled Mary to do God's will.

Joseph again protected Mary and Jesus when he led them out of Bethlehem and into Egypt. The scriptures do not tell what happened, but I'm sure many can imagine. Mary had just had a child, Jesus was a small infant. Joseph had to protect their identity lest they be killed along the way. He had to plan the trip, provide for them, and bring them food and water. Joseph's protection permitted Jesus to grow into a young boy, and then grow into the man who became our savior.

There are many feast days of Mary, and daily we celebrate Jesus. On this feast of the Holy Family, let us celebrate Joseph, the head of the Holy Family. Let us celebrate his acceptance of God's plan, his openness to change, his quick thinking, his bravery, and his desire to serve God no matter what others thought. Every family needs a leader. Joseph served in this roll, under God's command. Today let us pray with St. Joseph's intercession for the head of our family, and the head of all families. Let us pray that men may trust in God's plan for them and their families and that they may be brave in the face of challenges. Let us pray that they may love and serve their family as Christ loved and served the Church.

Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

Todays readings can be found here.

“We were given: Two hands to hold. To legs to walk. Two eyes to see. Two ears to listen. But why only one heart? Because the other was given to someone else. For us to find.” (Anon author) In the beginning, man was alone and knew that none of the animals were enough for him. God took part of the man and made a suitable partner for him. What was originally one, is now two separate persons. As it says in the reading from Genesis, “This is why a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife.”

Weeks ago we were presented with a reading that used marriage as the metaphor to describe the relationship between Christ and our Church. In this marriage, the spouses were to help each other get to heaven. Today we are given readings that describe the union of man and woman through marriage as designed during the creation. Man and woman were once one, but are now two. We were also once one with God, but are now separated from Him.

The fall in the Garden of Eden was like a divorce from God. Our baptism and sacramental life re-unites us. Like divorce, the hardness of mankind's hearts keep some separated from God. Some people say, “I'm spiritual, but not religious.” Well, God made each and every one of us. He is Spirit and life, we are alive and we are spiritual. It is in our very nature, as created by God, to be spiritual.

The religious aspect of our spiritual life is a way that God helps us. He saw that it was not suitable for persons to be alone. He made a partner for man so that he would have a companion in life. In our spiritual life, we are given our religion as a way to unite and connect with others. The union is what we call church. The union we participate in is called the One, Holy, Apostolic and Catholic Church. This Church is created for us, to help us unite ourselves with God. He created us to live together, to be together, to be one body. This body, this Church, was created to help us get to heaven. Marriage and the Church reflect each other, as ways that two parts can become one through sacrifice and obedience to each other; and they both can get us to heaven.