The Holy Family
Dear Fellow Parishioners in the Our Lady of Divine Providence Family of Parishes,
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I pray that you all had a joyous and merry celebration. It was a pleasure to celebrate Masses with you, and I am grateful for all the hard work put in by the church cleaners, decorators, musicians, liturgical ministers, greeters, ushers, and staff. It really takes a great deal of effort on the part of many people to make everything possible.
The holidays can be challenging time for many people as well, especially in our current social climate. Let us keep every family in our prayers that may be suffering from division or discord; let us remember all those without families, and without a home. Like Mary and Joseph experienced, there is no place in the inn for many of our brothers and sisters, and we need to be sure to remember them as well.
This weekend we celebrate the feast of the Holy Family. This feast day, coming right after Christmas, reminds us to imitate the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. They experienced more than their fair share of troubles! Hopefully we never have to beg for a place to sleep, or flee in the night for our lives, or lose a child in a busy city. But we can learn from them the importance of being devoted to God the Father, of harmony between husband and wife, the beauty and joy of simplicity and gratitude, and the enthusiasm to love in all things. If we put love into everything we do, then we can rejoice and find peace even in the face of the greatest challenges.
The mystery of Christmas gives us great confidence. St. Athanasius said that the “Son of God became the Son of Man so that sons and daughters of men could become the sons and daughters of God.” And Saint Pope Leo the Great, in a stirring Christmas homily, reminds us of the meaning of Christmas:
Christian, remember your dignity, and now that you share in God’s own nature, do not return by sin to your former base condition. Bear in mind who is your head and of whose body you are a member. Do not forget that you have been rescued from the power of darkness and brought into the light of God’s kingdom.
Through the sacrament of baptism you have become a temple of the Holy Spirit. Do not drive away so great a guest by evil conduct and become again a slave to the devil, for your liberty was bought by the blood of Christ.
Let us always remember that our baptism makes us sons and daughters of God, and live the divine adventure of our high calling with enthusiasm, freedom, and joy.
In our Family of Parishes, we face many challenges and transitions. Advent, Christmas, and Lent are a time of spiritual transition. Let us embrace the needs of our time with enthusiasm and joy! If we put love into all things, and embrace difficulty with generosity and gratitude, then like the Holy Family, we can be more united and more joyful, no matter what goes on around us. In the Eucharist, we have Jesus with us always, and in the tabernacle, He has a place to stay with us. Let us make our hearts a tabernacle also, so Jesus remains with us always, transforming us into Himself and our families into His Holy Family.
Yours in Christ, with Mary and Joseph,
Fr. Henry
