Feast of the Holy Family ~ by Ronnie Archer

One of the most important feast days celebrated by the Church is the Feast of the Holy Family. Its theme was developed around 1893 as an optional diocesan feast by Pope Leo XIII, who wanted to emphasize the importance of the family during a time when family life had begun to deteriorate. The feast was extended to the entire Roman Catholic Church around 1921 by Pope Benedict XV. Since 1969, after the liturgical reforms of Vatican II, the feast has been celebrated on the Sunday after Christmas.

It is most important because the family is the source of the Church. Without the family, there is no society or no Church.

When God created the earth, He did not give His blessings to anybody; but He blessed the Sacrament of Marriage, when Jesus blessed the wine during the wedding at Cana.

Jesus was born into a family and lived with His family for the first 30 years of His life. He did not begin to preach until after He was 30 years old. He learned everything that He preached by being in a family.

We learn love, sharing, caring and forgiveness from our family life. We have to be able to forgive because we cannot establish a community without being able to be humble enough to forgive each other.

The difference in a holy family and a family is the holy family commits themselves to Jesus Christ every day.

Everyone in the family is important in their own role. The father is the backbone, the provider; the mother is the root, the nurturer. Through the parents' love and guidance, the children will learn the difference between right and wrong, and to live in a way that is pleasing to God. In turn, as they mature, they extend that into their own families.

The Church reminds us all to be in service of, and to pray for all families, especially those that are in turmoil.


~ Image by Hermano Leon Clipart