Family is love forever

Listening to the Spirit

God our Father,
You give us the example of the Holy family.
Help us to be able to learn from them
so that we will gain true happiness with You.

Amen

Listening to the Word

Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23

Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” Then Joseph[a] got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt, and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, “Out of Egypt I have called my son.”

When Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the child’s life are dead.” Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And after being warned in a dream, he went away to the district of Galilee. There he made his home in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, “He will be called a Nazorean.”

Reflection

The feast of the Holy Family invites us to reflect on the important matter of being a family. Let us examine how we live as a family and learn from Mary, Joseph, and Jesus, to be a holy family. First of all, do we give enough time to our family? So many things that distract us and bother us in our lives so that we have not enough time for each other. The father and mother are so busy with many things in order to provide the need of the family. Children are busy with their own activities: study or work. When they gather together in the house still there is no time to mingle with each other because they are busy with their own matters and their own gadgets. Family members today are spending less and less time with each other.

Let us learn from the Holy Family how they spend time together. How they help each other and how they strengthen each other. There are at least three things that can help us build a holy family. First of all, respect each other with all the strengths and weaknesses that they have. Second, ready to forgive each other and to give the chance to reform their lives. And third, show love to one another through deeds and not only words. Value the family as the precious treasure in the world and do your best effort to make it a holy family.