The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph (B) St. Augustine teaches that there are three comings of Christ. The first coming was his birth in Bethlehem. The second coming is the famous "Second Coming" in power and glory. But there is a third coming that happens between these two. This is the coming of Christ to every Christian.
In the past, I encouraged people to prepare their hearts for a special Christmas moment. Did you have such moment? Maybe it happened before Christmas, or during a prayer time, or even after Christmas.
As a result of praying with Oriens, I have come to a new perspective. The Christ Child doesn't just come to visit us once a year. Rather, he comes to meet us every day. When we have not chosen the tree of life, the Christ Child appears to offer us new life. We are invited to humble ourselves, to bend down, to enter the stable and receive the Baby Jesus. He offers a relationship, and with that comes love, joy, peace, hope, and all the other gifts we have been longing for.
When we humbly submit to our Father's will, we become like Joseph and Mary. They each individually accepted God's plan for their lives. And together they formed a holy family. When a husband and a wife each embrace God's will, they too will become a holy family.
When a couple together draws close to Jesus, something special happens. Sadly there has only been one canonized couple in the history of the Church: Louis and Zélie Martin. Regardless of whom you are married to, drawing close to Jesus will enrich your marriage. Even children are called to help make their families holy.
We are also members of a faith family. Let us each accept Jesus so that together we can be a holy church family. We can all take comfort in the fact that Abraham and Sarah are presented as models of faith. They learned to be faithful gradually over time. As we learn to be faithful, our families will become holy.
(27 Dec 2020)
Going Deeper: The Abraham story occupies much of the book of Genesis. Open your Bible to Genesis 12 and read through chapter 25.
Images: Abraham, Sarah & Isaac | The Martins | Jesus, Mary & Joseph