What makes a family holy? Some people might have an idea from the past of a 1950s sit-com family, or a monastery-like household that doesn’t exist anywhere. What was a day in the life of Mary, Joseph, and Jesus like? What was daily life like in first-century Nazareth? I’m not certain, but they didn’t have electricity, television, computers, or automobiles. Those things alone make it a life I can hardly imagine.
How do we define “family?” Not all families have the same configuration of mother, father, and one to “many” children. Getting married and having children may be the norm, but I am a single person with no children who doesn’t appreciate feeling like an anomaly. We all know single people, divorced and separated people, people in second marriages, people who cannot have children for a number of reasons, people who have had miscarriages, people who have had children die, and most likely, people in other circumstances that do not match the Holy Family picture. There is no “one size fits all” family.
There is the family we are born into, and the one, or even ones, we choose. There is extended family, and the relations we learn about by having our DNA tested. In many ways, the individual defines the structure of his/her family. St Paul in today’s Colossians letter, gives us the marks of the holy family: heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forbearance, forgiveness, love, and peace. These traits are part of a strong checklist for holiness.
The holiness that every baptized person is called to is something that should be able to be achieved living a regular life in this world. To be holy is to be set apart for a special purpose, to live as Jesus taught. The sacrifices we make for another out of love are part and parcel of the pathway to holiness. We are on a journey from selfishness to selflessness.
Reflection: Take some time on this day to reflect on your family, living and dead. Give thanks to God for the good times and bring to God any areas that need healing or forgiveness. Consider starting the New Year by telling loved ones what they mean to you.
Reflect line by line on this quote: “It is evident to everyone, that all the faithful [lay people] of Christ of whatever rank or status, are called to the fullness of the Christian life and to the perfection of charity; by this holiness as such, a more human manner of living is promoted in this earthly society. In order that the faithful may reach this perfection, they must use their strength accordingly as they have received it, as a gift from Christ. They must follow in His footsteps and conform themselves to His image seeking the will of the Father in all things. They must devote themselves with all their being to the glory of God and the service of their neighbor. In this way, the holiness of the People of God will grow into an abundant harvest of good, as is admirably shown by the life of so many saints in Church history.” Lumen Gentium #40
