Reflection for the Solemnity of the Holy Family 2025

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.

Welcome! We continue in the forty-day celebration of Christmas.

Today, we are called to reflect upon Jesus Who was born into the human family through a human family – the family of Joseph and Mary.

It might be easy to think of God being with us always, but it is much more important for us to realize the very real connection God has with us in all things.

In taking on our humanity, Jesus, the Son of God, agreed to take on ALL of our humanity with its joys and pains, celebrations and sorrows. He chose to be with us always and through the knowing experience of our struggles is, as St. Paul writes, interceding for us at the right hand of God (cf. Romans 8:34).

Consider even what Jesus faced as we observe these few short weeks between Christmas and the Presentation.

Jesus’ mother Mary is found with child, not by the man she is engaged to. She risked not only ridicule, but also being stoned to death, with her baby, for adultery. Joseph saved her from that but also chose to divorce her. Jesus, except for God’s intervention with Joseph, risked being killed or at least being born into a broken family.

The family had to take on unexpected journeys. While pregnant, Mary traveled 100 miles to take care of her cousin Elizabeth. Similarly, the pregnant Mary with Joseph traveled 90 miles over a week to Bethlehem. Those are walks of eight hours a day.

They arrived and had to stay in a barn with the animals and in those conditions, Mary gave birth. God enters through the meagerest of accommodations. The poorest of the poor come to adore Him that night.

The next threat came from Herod, and they had to flee into Egypt. They traversed the places we are familiar with today, Rafah, Gaza, the Sinai, across the Nile, to a village near Cairo. This over 600-mile journey was alone – not as typical in a caravan – and without protection or provision on a weak beast. 

Today’s gospel relates Jesus staying behind in the Temple. Imagine His parents panic when they found He was lost.

We know at some point they faced the death of Joseph and its natural sadness. The Child and His now widowed mother had to rely on family and strangers for provision.

As we face the numerous challenges in our lives let us breathe in the God Who is with us. He, Who is part of our families, feels our pain, knows our struggles, and intercedes for us constantly.

Reflection for Palm Sunday 2023

How to Overcome.

“My soul is sorrowful even to death. Remain here and keep watch with me.” He advanced a little and fell prostrate in prayer, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet, not as I will, but as you will.”

Thank you for joining as we have arrived together to Holy Week.

In this week we go from the highs of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem to that night in the upper room. where they gathered in fellowship and bonding, a time where an eternal promise of Jesus’ abiding with us is given, to the garden where Jesus plunges into deep prayer and pleading, where the vision of what is to come crushes everything in Him except His dedication to His Father’s will, and as we heard throughout the Passion narrative His arrest, trial, cruel murder, and burial.

“My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet, not as I will, but as you will.”

You will notice throughout all this, as in each part of the gospel’s proclamation, Jesus faces what we face, experiences all we experience, celebrates and cries, feels anger and compassion. 

Not only that, but Jesus faced multiple levels of temptation attacking at every moment and seeking that He give up, quit, go home. We face that too, the push to give up, to walk away.

Like Jesus, sometimes we fall to our knees and cry out:

“My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet, not as I will, but as you will.”

Use Holy Week as an opportunity to consider our view of all this, its meaning for us.

Some may view Jesus’ Holy Week journey as disinterested observers, standing at a distance. Yeah, sure I know what happened, and it did me some kind of good, let’s move on.

Some may see Holy Week’s events as theologians might, trying very hard to explain the mystery, to delve into theories and to place what happened into neat compartments of cause and effect. Figuring it out as best as they can they say: It did people some kind of good, let’s move on.

Holy Week is shared experience. If these moments bring intimacy with Jesus, if we stand with Him, and watch with Him, we come to see ourselves in Jesus’ life and how He shared life and death with us. Our moments, whether joyful and glorious or painful and sad take on new dimension and we now face them differently.

As we bind ourselves to Him in great love, we finally realize that Jesus did not come as God distant and apart, but as God with us. Yes, Jesus did me eternal good and I will not move on, but I will remain with Him Who faced this too, Who understands and offers me strength. We remember how far His love goes and are ever thankful to overcome in Him.