Reflection for December 30

Gospel - Matthew 2:13-15,19-23

Joseph had the gift of dreams. He was visited by angels in his dreams, and these angels gave him strict instructions and directions. As we learn through the stories about Joseph, he listened to the angels’ instructions and warnings. He learned about Jesus’s conception through a dream, and now he is being told to flee to Egypt to protect his newborn son. And Joseph complies. He leaves with Mary and Jesus, so that Jesus is protected from Herod. Joseph honors his duty as a father, his duty to keep his child safe from harm.

On this very special feast day, we celebrate the Holy Family. Not only do we celebrate Mary, Joseph and Jesus, but we also celebrate the holy families that we have been brought up in and holy families that we have created. And, of course, we celebrate this place, Holy Family Retreat Center. A place where God’s family has come to be welcomed, to rest, and to be loved. Because love is what makes a family, right? Joseph, Mary and Jesus loved and cared for each other. They experienced what all families experience: joy, sadness, injury, forgiveness. They are a model to us; they teach us how to live as a family. In our lives, family takes on so many iterations, not only those people to whom we are related through blood but those people with whom we share our own joys, difficulties, with whom we disagree and come to forgive. On this feast of the Holy Family, let us show gratitude for all of those we love and whom we consider to be family. Let us also look to the model of the Holy Family, to show how to protect and love those whom we call family.

Liza Peters
Holy Family Staff