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Dear Parish Family,
When Our Savior came into this world, he didn’t choose to come into it as a strong, wealthy, powerful king. He chose to be born in a cold manger and raised by humble, hard-working parents. And instead of glorifying herself, Mary praised God and gave thanks for every blessing. She also continued to serve God and others in His name. For instance, when she went to help her cousin Elisabeth prepare for the birth of John the Baptist, Luke 1:46-49 states that she joyfully proclaimed “My soul doth magnify the Lord. And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior”.
“For every believer, and especially for Christian families, the humble dwelling place in Nazareth is an authentic school of the Gospel. Here we admire, put into practice, the divine plan to make the family an intimate community of life and love; here we learn that every Christian family is called to be a small "domestic church" that must shine with the Gospel virtues,” said St. John Paul II. “Recollection and prayer, mutual understanding and respect, personal discipline and community asceticism and a spirit of sacrifice, work and solidarity are typical features that make the family of Nazareth a model for every home.”
“In the family life of Mary and Joseph, God is truly at the center, and He is so in the Person of Jesus. This is why the Family of Nazareth is holy. Why? Because it is centered on Jesus. When parents and children together breathe in this climate of faith, they have an energy that allows them to face even difficult trials, as the experience of the Holy Family shows, for example, in the dramatic event of their flight to Egypt: a difficult ordeal,” said Pope Francis.
Most of the parents work hard to pass on as much wealth as possible to their children. This effort might hamper a greater good of helping children to grow through meaning experiences. Even experiences of hardship, boredom and inconveniences are all strands of character building. Encountering God in the Church family too an experience that must not be overlooked. Today we encourage children to be competitive rather than collaborative. Behind competition is a mind-set of bringing the best of the child, but we forget that real joy comes from team building, family unions and fellowship. Even young children convey the feelings and symptoms of being ‘stressed’. Human being are hard wired for compassion and we tend to promote ‘mind-one’s-own-business’.
Compassion, collaboration and concrete experiences are facets that every Family must cultivate in all its members. Understanding the Divine Purpose in making us live in Families after the example of the Holy Family is a great way to enter into the New Year that is just dawning.Fr. Tom Kunnel. C.O.