The Holy Family at Christmas

First published in the December 25, 2022 Bulletin of St. Vincent Ferrer Catholic Church, Delray Beach, FL

Merry Christmas! You may be reading this before your family celebrations are over, or perhaps you are sitting down late Christmas night, after all the gifts have been opened, and excitement has calmed down. Whatever you are doing now, stop for a moment, close your eyes, take a deep breath, and let it out slowly. It’s time to relax, as we wind down from all the hustle and bustle of the holidays. Sure, we still have New Year’s Eve to contend with, but take a moment an imagine the perfect image of the family we celebrate today.

For while Christmas is, of course, focused on the birth of Jesus, it is the Holy Family we see in our Christmas tableau of the Nativity. No matter how many angels, donkeys, cows, or camels we may have on display, the Holy Family is at the center: Mary, the loving, gentle, caring mother, and St. Joseph, steadfast and strong, protector of the family. They are the model family for us to emulate, whether or not our family looks like theirs. Even those of us who live alone may look to them for support. For the Holy Family is one where all do their part, and where all seek to do the will of God. It is a family of caring for one another. It is a family centered by prayer and worship of God our Father. It is a family that will face terrible hardships, including the flight to Egypt while Jesus is still a newborn infant. And the hardships they have faced already, at the birth of Christ, will pale in comparison of what we know is yet to come, as he grows, begins his public ministry, and ultimately dies for us, in reparation for our sins.

We are an Easter people; it is the Resurrection that defines us. But it is Christmas, with the birth of the infant, when we celebrate the Incarnation, the Word made flesh and dwelling among us, that we first receive the divine Savior, come to redeem all mankind.