by Rev. Deacon Lawrence A. St. Onge

In the documents of the 2^nd Vatican Council, there is a section (Ch. 5), entitled "The Call to Holiness." It states that holiness is a universal call; that "All the faithful, of whatever state or rank, are called to the fullness of Christian life and to the perfection of charity." The fact is that it isn’t just bishops, priests, deacons and nuns, or even monks and hermits, who are called to holiness; nor is there some special kind of holiness reserved for them. There is only one kind of holiness, and it is to that holiness that all the People of God are called. Pope John Paul II has said that the reason he has canonized so many people during his pontificate is to show that holiness is to be found everywhere; and that many lay people have obtained holiness in the ordinary circumstances of life.

St. John in the 2^nd reading today speaks about how God loves us so much that, through our baptism, he has made us into his very sons and daughters, and that we are destined to "see God as he is" and then we shall "be like him." It is by our baptism then, that we are called to holiness, to live out our lives as the children of God, as followers of Christ.

Most of the People of God are married lay people, and therefore, it is the married life, the family life, which is the way to holiness for the overwhelming majority of most people. It is within the married state, in its most ordinary events, and in its most intimate moments, that couples are able to achieve true holiness.

Families are important to all of us, whether we are married or single. We must remember that we were created in the image and likeness of God, and that the human family has its origins in the Divine Family of the Holy Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, who exist, first and foremost, in relationship with one another. We are, therefore, communal beings, and it is usually within the family that we learn to relate, to build community, learn values and traditions, and most importantly, learn to love. We have an interior need to belong, and family life is an initiation into the life of society.

Today, on the 1^st Sunday after Christmas, the Church celebrates the feast of the Holy Family. Pope Paul VI once said, "The Holy Family serves as a model for us. It exemplifies the basic function of family in society: a community of love and sharing, beautiful for the problems it poses and the rewards it brings; in sum, there is no substitute." And I might add that it is absolutely true, regardless of what the State Supreme Court of Massachusetts might have to say; the family is the cornerstone of society.

Perhaps the images, which we associate with the Feast of the Holy Family, make it difficult for us to accept our own family experiences of living and life. To speak of a "Holy Family" carries with it all kinds of assumptions and presuppositions. We probably imagine it to be perfect, stress-free and idyllic. We probably picture Joseph teaching Jesus his trade as a carpenter, or Mary teaching Jesus how to pray. We may see an ideal that seems far distant from the reality of our own living and life. Certainly, there was love, loyalty and respect in the Holy Family, but it was a very real family, after all.

In today’s gospel, St. Luke presents an incident in Jesus’ life that shows us that even in this most holy of families there were moments of anguish, fear, and misunderstanding, which should reassure us when it happens in our families. Many parents have experienced the panic Mary and Joseph felt when they realized that their child was missing. Mary’s question to Jesus is very natural: "Why have you treated us like this?" Jesus’ reply, on the other hand, is somewhat mysterious and baffling: "Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?" In this manner Jesus subtly, but undeniably, asserts that it is God, rather than Joseph, who is his Father. It was the first time that Jesus consciously expressed his awareness that he was different; that he had a unique relationship with God; that he was in fact God’s son, and his first priority was to do the will of God his Father. Thus it is clearly evident that Jesus’ commitment and priority is to God’s kingdom.

It was Jesus’ relationship with God the Father that was at the center of Jesus’ life. His awareness of his identity and his mission directed his whole life. If we allow it, having God at the center of our lives will also have severe consequences on our own identity and on what we see as our mission or purpose in life – our call to holiness.

Today’s feast is a celebration of membership of the family of God. Each of us is a child of God and called to live the life of a disciple. Through our baptism and sharing in communion, we are in fact bonded together in ways that are deeper than even human family ties. When Jesus was asked who was his brother or sister, he replied that anyone who did the will of God was a member of his family.

Today’s Feast of the Holy Family calls us to remember that our families don’t have to be perfect. Even a family which has two great saints, Mary and Joseph, and a child who is God’s only Son, did not guarantee a peaceful, tranquil family life. But if we, like Jesus, learn to grow in wisdom, then God’s grace will somehow see us through and bind us together in love and reconciliation. Such growth is never easy, but it is through this struggle that we grow and answer the call to holiness.