Reflections of Caritas

December 28th – Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph

Written by CaritasForChildren | Dec 24, 2014 5:29:00 PM

“And over all these put on love, that is, the bond of perfection.” – Colossians 3:14

Merry Christmas! Are you familiar with the Nativity Scene? Perhaps you set one up in your own home during Advent, complete with sheep and oxen, shepherds and angels, wise men, Joseph and Mary — all awaiting the Savior’s arrival on Christmas. This beautiful tradition dates back to the year 1223, when St. Francis of Assisi organized a real-life Nativity Scene during Christmas Midnight Mass to enliven the faith of the people of Grecio, Italy.

Reflecting upon the manger, picture Mary holding the Son of God in her arms. Talk about a big responsibility! Imagine the thoughts racing through her mind and that of her husband. What’s even more astonishing is that the Child Jesus, God Himself, was resting comfortably in His Mother’s bosom, completely dependent and utterly vulnerable. Even these first moments of Jesus’ life foreshadowed his humble sacrifice on the Cross for our salvation.

This is good news! It was precisely into the midst of filth and chaos that God entered and holiness was found! Therefore, we should draw hope from the fact that even for the Holy Family life got messy and chaotic. We would do well to follow the example of Mary and Joseph and welcome the Christ Child into the most stressful and muddy aspects of our families.

If we do, then He will make our families holy as well. They will come to be characterized by what St. Paul calls “the bond of perfection” – love. They will become the Ecclesia domestica – domestic churches – and “islands of Christian life in an unbelieving world” (Catechism of the Catholic Church #1655).

Indeed, through love, holy families will prove that God is with us and the long-awaited Emmanuel has come. As the French writer, Victor Hugo, put it so aptly in the novel Les Misérables, “To love another person is to see the face of God.” Thus, when we love our mother, our father, our sister, and our brother… when we love a poor child, an outcast, or a stranger – whenever we love a child of God – we see the same Face that Mary and Joseph gazed upon with wonder that first Christmas, more than 2000 years ago.

In fact, that’s the goal of CARITAS For Children. We long to see Christ’s face and know His love. So, we follow Him into the messiness of poverty, and there we find Him in the faces of the children we serve. Together then, with your partnership, we all share in the mystery of God’s love.

Therefore, let us make the words of Simeon from this Sunday’s Gospel our own: “Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace, according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you prepared in sight of all the peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel” (Luke 2:29-32).

Infant Jesus, King of Glory, let us see your face. Fill our hearts with your love and bless our families with your peace. Holy Mother Mary and Saint Joseph, pray for us!