Your Family is also Holy

1. The life of the Holy Family

            Mary, Joseph and Jesus Christ they are the three persons in this smal Nazarene family. Actually, it is not three persons in the holy family of Nazareth, but five persons, God the Father, the Son, the holy Spirit and Mary and Joseph. Holy Family is a love in communion of persons. The holy family is God and humans---male and female, live together as a communion. This family is a family of God's expectation in the beginning of creation; this family is a new creation which God and humans live together as a family

            Holy family is a new way of being human and being family. Jesus Christ the incarnated God enters into human life in order human persons entering into the life of the Trinitarian God. So, being human is being with God in communion. In Jesus Christ, human beings find the whole meaning of life. The holy family is the model of being family. Family is two persons in love, male and female, to enter into the communion of the Trinitarian God, Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. So, even you do not marry and live by yourself, you are not along, you have other three persons of God with you.

            Traditionally people emphasized the role of Jesus Christ in the holy family. It is true that Jesus is the reason of holy family. However we need to understand that holy family is a new way of being in communion with God and human persons. This holy family is also a symbol or foretaste of our future life in Heaven. Holy family is a communion of persons on earth but anticipate the life in Heaven. In the view of holy family, we can understand the meaning that Jesus said that some of them have already tasted the kingdom of Heaven.      

2. Why is this family called holy?

            This family of Nazarene is holy because not only three of them are full of God's grace, but also because they seek God's will on every things. Two thousand years ago, life for Mary, Joseph and Jesus was not easy, everyone of them had special challenges. Mary and Joseph had to do something which was beyond their understandings. They had to escape to Egypt for avoiding being killed. Life for them was full of difficulties. But they sought the will of God and practiced God's teachings.

            The life of holy family in Nazareth is just like all our families here in our time. Comparing with the holy family, our family life is much easier than them. So, being holy is not because of time or situation, being holy is because people listen to the teachings of God and practice it. For Christian, being and doing always walks hand in hand. The meaning of holy in the holy family is to listen to the word of God and practice it.

3. Your families are also holy family

            Can our families become holy family? Many of you will say, no way! We  are sinners, we have our problems, we have our difficult situations. Today, we have a group of people who call themselves, families of Christ. They want to live a life as holy family in our time.

            As Christians, our families are also invited to becoming holy. Our children do not need to be born as homeless; we do not need to escape to other land because of persecution. We have a much easier life comparing with the holy family. As Christians, we have the life of Jesus Christ, we can receive the grace of God every day. So we can and should becoming holy family.

            Becoming holy is an invitation from God, it is also your decision. For us, in any situation, we still can choose to seek the will of God and to love. Although each and every one of us has different difficulties, we have God's grace. With God's grace, we can choose to walk on the way of holiness. Mary and Joseph made this decision. All of us can also make this decision of becoming holy at our family and in this world.

            Holy family is a communion of love with God and humans. Holy family is because every member seeks the will of God and practice it. You and your family are also invited to become holy and to live a life of holiness.