Reflections of Caritas

December 27th, 2015 – Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph

Written by Kollin Petrie | Dec 23, 2015 3:00:00 PM

"And he said to them, ‘Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?’” – Luke 2:49

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people of good will! Merry Christmas! 

After celebrating the Nativity of Our Lord on December 25th, we commemorate the Holy Family this Sunday. In the Gospel reading we hear the famous story of Mary and Joseph leaving young Jesus behind in Jerusalem. After searching for three days, they eventually find him conversing with the teachers in the Temple.

This scene from Jesus’ life also happens to be the Fifth Joyful Mystery of the Holy Rosary. Every Mystery of the Rosary is traditionally associated with a particular “fruit” that comes from meditating upon it. The fruit of the Fifth Joyful Mystery is “joy in finding Jesus.” 

For that reason, this specific Mystery has always been a favorite of mine. An intimate relationship with Jesus is the only thing that will ever truly satisfy the desires of our hearts, so we naturally long to find Him, just as Mary and Joseph once searched high and low for Jesus in Jerusalem. Now, imagine their elation (and relief) when they finally recovered their beloved Son “in His Father’s House.” 

That same sense of gladness and peace is tied to an authentic encounter with the Lord. In His presence, our fears are alleviated and our hope is restored. Indeed, as Pope Francis emphasized in Evangelii Gaudium, joy is at the heart of what it means to know Jesus Christ. 

We have a profound opportunity to encounter Christ and experience this joy through the institution of the family. That is why we celebrate the feast of the Holy Family. The bonds of familial love manifest God’s own love in a very concrete way. Pope Francis illustrated this in his homily for the World Meeting of Families. He said:

Love is shown by little things, by attention to small daily signs which make us feel at home… They are the quiet things done by mothers and grandmothers, by fathers and grandfathers, by children. They are little signs of tenderness, affection and compassion. Like the warm supper we look forward to at night, the early lunch awaiting someone who gets up early to go to work. Homely gestures. Like a blessing before we go to bed, or a hug after we return from a hard day’s work. 

If we can cultivate these little acts of love into our family life, then we will indeed encounter Jesus and the joy He brings as we become more like His Holy Family.

Glory to You, Son of God! Bless our families and help us to love one another. Amen.