Feast of the Holy Family
December 31, 2006
Today’s Gospel of Luke ends with the words: “And Jesus advanced in wisdom and age and favor before God and man.” (Luke 2:52) In short, Jesus grew and matured within the context of a human family. He bloomed in the soil of the family that Mary and Joseph provided. This is the will of God for us as well. We are all called to reach our full human potential. God wants us to become what he has called us to be. He wants us to bloom, “to advance in wisdom, and age and favor before God and man.”
“Bloom where you’re planted!”
Granted our respective families probably don’t come close to the holiness and healthiness of the family that Mary and Joseph provided for Jesus, but as we approach a new year and are thinking perhaps about resolutions, we might consider enriching the soil of our families with the ultimate nutrient.... “LOVE.”.
Perhaps one of the following reflections might hit home with you as you resolve to enrich your family for the new year.
FIRST REFLECTION: “Family Comes Before Things!”
Your spouse and your children come before your job, before your career.
In 1993, David Williams, an offensive lineman for the Houston Oilers was fined a game’s pay of over $80,000 (not bad work if you can get it), because he opted to stay home with his wife who was having a baby instead of flying to New England with the Oilers to play against the Patriots. Smart man! He understood that family is more important than money, more important than football.
In December 1996, an elderly man playing with his grandchild outside of Church told me he had discovered the joy of being with his grandchildren and had only one regret in life, that he had missed the same opportunity to enjoy his own children growing up because he was a workaholic.
Moms and Dads, you’re going to die some day, but then you knew that! Your kids and grandkids are going to talk about you at the funeral parlor. They’re going to waltz down memory lane. They’re going to tell funny stories about the water fight you had while washing the family car, the time you played tag and fell and landed on your backside, the time you flew the kite at the beach and it got away from you, the time you attended their first grade play and congratulated them even though they got their one line wrong. They’re going to remember the times you laughed together, cried together and all the fun adventures you took together.
However, what they’re not going to remember is whether you dressed them in Kalvin Kline or K-mart blue light specials. They’re not going to remember whether you fed them steak or hamburger, or any other of the materials things you worked so hard to provide. They’re only going to remember the times you spent with them.
“Family comes before things.”
For you young people, this means your family comes before school or sports or other extracurricular activities.
On Christmas day 1980 I was temporarily helping out at Sacred Heart Parish in Homestead Florida. I was just a deacon at the time. One of the altar servers at Christmas Mass, a senior in high school, casually mentioned that he had baseball practice that afternoon. I was taken aback. Surely he must be mistaken. What kind of a coach would require high school kids to practice baseball on one of the most important family days of the year.
The young man explained that last year his team had been second in the state and that this year they were determined to be number one. So they practiced every day without exception, including Christmas Day.
I’m ashamed to say that this young man attended a Catholic high school. How is it possible that a Catholic school, a coach, a family could not understand that family comes before things, that family comes even before first place trophies.
Life isn’t about things. Life isn’t about trophies....or scholarships, or making lots of money. Life is about relationships. People make us happy...not things.
So remember: “Family comes before things!”
“Bloom where you’re planted!”
Granted our respective families probably don’t come close to the holiness and healthiness of the family that Mary and Joseph provided for Jesus, but as we approach a new year and are thinking perhaps about resolutions, we might consider enriching the soil of our families with the ultimate nutrient.... “LOVE.”.
Perhaps one of the following reflections might hit home with you as you resolve to enrich your family for the new year.
FIRST REFLECTION: “Family Comes Before Things!”
Your spouse and your children come before your job, before your career.
In 1993, David Williams, an offensive lineman for the Houston Oilers was fined a game’s pay of over $80,000 (not bad work if you can get it), because he opted to stay home with his wife who was having a baby instead of flying to New England with the Oilers to play against the Patriots. Smart man! He understood that family is more important than money, more important than football.
In December 1996, an elderly man playing with his grandchild outside of Church told me he had discovered the joy of being with his grandchildren and had only one regret in life, that he had missed the same opportunity to enjoy his own children growing up because he was a workaholic.
Moms and Dads, you’re going to die some day, but then you knew that! Your kids and grandkids are going to talk about you at the funeral parlor. They’re going to waltz down memory lane. They’re going to tell funny stories about the water fight you had while washing the family car, the time you played tag and fell and landed on your backside, the time you flew the kite at the beach and it got away from you, the time you attended their first grade play and congratulated them even though they got their one line wrong. They’re going to remember the times you laughed together, cried together and all the fun adventures you took together.
However, what they’re not going to remember is whether you dressed them in Kalvin Kline or K-mart blue light specials. They’re not going to remember whether you fed them steak or hamburger, or any other of the materials things you worked so hard to provide. They’re only going to remember the times you spent with them.
“Family comes before things.”
For you young people, this means your family comes before school or sports or other extracurricular activities.
On Christmas day 1980 I was temporarily helping out at Sacred Heart Parish in Homestead Florida. I was just a deacon at the time. One of the altar servers at Christmas Mass, a senior in high school, casually mentioned that he had baseball practice that afternoon. I was taken aback. Surely he must be mistaken. What kind of a coach would require high school kids to practice baseball on one of the most important family days of the year.
The young man explained that last year his team had been second in the state and that this year they were determined to be number one. So they practiced every day without exception, including Christmas Day.
I’m ashamed to say that this young man attended a Catholic high school. How is it possible that a Catholic school, a coach, a family could not understand that family comes before things, that family comes even before first place trophies.
Life isn’t about things. Life isn’t about trophies....or scholarships, or making lots of money. Life is about relationships. People make us happy...not things.
So remember: “Family comes before things!”
