Feast of the Holy Family

On the first Sunday after Christmas, we celebrate the feast of the Holy Family. Jesus, Mary and Joseph were united in their love for one another. Jesus was an ordinary boy; no one in the small village of Nazareth thought him any different from the other children. Mary and Joseph wanted it that way as they still did not know what God planned for their Son who was divine, yet fully human. I can see Jesus learning to talk, to walk, then to run and play. I can also see him learning the prayers a good Jewish family would say each morning and evening. I can imagine how the other Persons in the Blessed Trinity watched as Jesus grew in age and in grace.

I think of my own family and how our parents wanted us to be happy and grow up safely. They watched over our health, taught us to pray, fed us, clothed us, counseled us and tried to give us a happy childhood. I am sure that Mary and Joseph did the same for Jesus.