Five Golden Virtues

Homily for the Feast of the Holy Family
of Jesus, Mary and Joseph
29 December 2013

“Mankind is a great, an immense family . . . This is proved by what we feel in our hearts at Christmas.”

        This quote by Blessed Pope John XXIII really seems to hit the nail on the head for our celebration today. The indescribable joy that we feel at the birth of our Savior is a feeling that we simply do not feel as mere individuals, but, collectively, as the whole human race. Yet the only way we understand this world-wide joy within the hearts of humanity is because of the joy that we first experience in our individual families.

        As we celebrate today the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, we acknowledge that while perfect on so many levels, the Holy Family was first and foremost a family, with many of the same joys and struggles that we all face. The members of this family were not always the statues that we have in our churches and homes; no, they were people like you and me, just with a distinct supernatural calling that set them apart.

        As we continue to celebrate this Octave of Christmas, we have this wonderful opportunity to reflect upon how the Holy Family is for a model to live our lives as a family, no matter what any individual’s particular family situation looks like, for this reflection also applies to how we live within that great, immense family of mankind. And since [tomorrow / today] we celebrate that fifth day of Christmas with its five golden rings, I thought we could think about five golden virtues that Jesus, Mary and Joseph lived out in their family life that continue to be great examples for us to emulate.

1.  The Holy Family was Holy: It’s hard NOT to be holy when two-thirds of your household is perfect. Yet to be holy is not to be an automatic saint; rather, to be holy is to be striving for that life of blessed perfection that God calls us to. The universal call to holiness is something that the fathers of the Second Vatican Council reminded us that is the job of each person – every member of the human family is called to holiness, and as members of that great family, we are called to help others attain that holiness, just as Jesus, Mary and Joseph called upon each other to help keep God as the focus of their lives;

2.  The Holy Family was Humble: Humility is the antithesis and remedy for pride. Pride holds us back from loving one another in an authentic way, as well as having authentic relationships with one another. In practicing humility, the Holy Family was able to give of themselves completely to and for one another – something that Jesus later teaches us from the Cross. As we practice the virtue of humility, we drop the masks and personas that we wear to protect our vulnerability, and learn to become that authentic person that our God created us to be, for He made us in His image and likeness – an image of authentic love –, and our pride keeps us from that authenticity; humility allows us to love and to be love in that authentic sense;

3.  The Holy Family was Sincere: Since the Holy Family approached one another and others with humility, they were able to practice sincerity. To be sincere with each other is to speak and act without pretense, to impart to the other that the emotions we are showing are genuine, and we are not people of duplicity. The honesty that comes from living a life of sincerity allowed Jesus, Mary and Joseph a greater opportunity to enter into that authenticity that God called them to, and we, now, have that same opportunity. How we treat each other is a mirror of how we wish to be treated, because our sincerity (or lack of it) shows others our authentic self, whether we realize it or not. Sincerity allows the Heart of God to guide all our thoughts, words and actions, and allows God, Himself, to be at the heart of all things;

4.  The Holy Family was Generous: Generosity is not just doing something with that little extra bit of money we have from time to time, but, rather, is giving from the very heart of who we are. The Holy Family was generous because of their sincere concern for their fellow man. They gave of themselves – their time, talent and treasure – for the betterment of humanity. So, too, are we called to be generous not just with that little extra that we may sometimes have, but to freely give of what we have whenever the situation arises for us to do so. To be generous doesn’t mean that we don’t take care of ourselves, but to make sure that the other’s needs are met before our own; and

5.  The Holy Family was Loving: Yes, they were loving! That seems like a "no-brainer" when you think about it. However, the Holy Family was loving because, when you get down to it, Love dwelt in their midst. How much more would our families, how much more would our world be loving if we were allow Love, Himself, to dwell in our midst? Now, I’m not saying that we don’t have any loving families, but am recognizing that the tension, frustration, angst, anger and discontentment exists in our families and in our world because, at moments, we refuse to allow Love to dwell. Jesus, Mary and Joseph used the love that dwelt among them to be the basis by which their generosity, sincerity and humility could be enacted within their family and within the larger community, and so growing deeper in their relationship with the Father. And so, with us, we must now allow that love to be the basis by which our families and communities are built, for love is that bond of perfection which we are all seeking.

My brothers and sisters, we continue to hold up the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph as that model family for they hold the key to what it means to be a family centered in and held by the Heart of God. Each of our individual families, as well as the family of mankind, would do well to remember that, at the end of the day, the Holy Family was still a family, with all the struggles and joys that come with it. Yet at the heart of this particular family was Love, Himself – that same Love which beckons to cross the thresholds of our homes, of our world, so that our joy may be complete.

Those words of Blessed Pope John XXIII continue to ring true to this very day. Mankind is only that great and immense family because our individual families look to the great model of Jesus, Mary and Joseph to understand what it means to be a family rooted in the Heart of our God.

Let us pray:

We bless Your name, O Lord,
       for sending Your own Incarnate Son,
       to become part of a family,
       so that, as He lived its life,
       He would experience its worries and its joys.

We ask You, Lord,
       to protect and watch over [all families],
       so that in the strength of Your grace
       its members may enjoy prosperity,
       possess the priceless gift of Your peace,
       and, as the Church alive in the home,
       bear witness in this world to Your glory.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

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Enjoy the journey . . .