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<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Today is the feast of the Holy Family,
\nand as we look at the gospel reading today
\nwe might be reminded of a similar story,
\na more modern story.<\/p>\n
A story of a family taking a long trip during the holiday season
\nwho suddenly realize that they\u2019ve left their young son home alone.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m speaking of course of that 1990 movie Home Alone<\/em>, His wish gets granted when, And just as Mary and Joseph don\u2019t realize It takes Mary and Joseph several days to find Jesus In the end, Jesus is reunited with his family, It’s good to look at these two stories together Here in front of us we have the beautiful manger scene And now picture an imaginary line running the length of the floor The Church sets the Holy Family before us today as our model, How could our families ever be that perfect? But holiness doesn\u2019t come from our being good enough, And so what we learn about family from the Holy Family The Holy Family was holy because Jesus was there, Our families are holy to the extent that Jesus is present in them. If you think back over the past few days, Jesus, Mary, and Joseph lived lives of self-giving sacrifice. Reconciliation is another sign of holiness in a family. And then there’s joy. Whenever there is sacrifice, reconciliation, and joy, Now it is very possible that for some, And so as we recall our vocation to be holy, But we have a God who will never disappear,
\nwhere young Kevin McAllister believes he is being bullied
\nby his older brothers and sisters,
\nand ignored by his parents,
\nso he wishes his family would just disappear.<\/p>\n
\non the morning they\u2019re supposed to be getting on an airplane
\nto go to Paris for Christmas,
\nthey oversleep and have to rush to get to the airport.<\/p>\n
\nthat Jesus has remained behind in Jerusalem,
\nthe McAllisters don\u2019t realize
\nthat young Kevin has been left behind at home.<\/p>\n
\nafter they return to Jerusalem,
\nand it takes Mrs. McAllister several days to get back home from Paris.<\/p>\n
\ngoes back to Nazareth with them and is obedient.
\nAnd Kevin is reunited with his family,
\ncomes to realize how much he loves them,
\nand goes back to his normal life.
\nAt least until Home Alone 2<\/em>.<\/p>\n
\nbecause today the Church sets Jesus, Mary and Joseph before us
\nas a model of what our families should be.
\nBut we might identify more easily with the McAllister family,
\nwith their arguing, noisiness, and chaos.<\/p>\n
\nwith the Holy Family portrayed in sacred art.
\nIt\u2019s a beautiful, peaceful image of the sacredness of family life,
\nso calm, so holy.
\nNow imagine, if you will, Kevin McAllister and his family standing
\ndown the aisle in the back of the church just inside the doorway.
\nA very different image of family life.<\/p>\n
\nfrom the Holy Family to the McAllister family.
\nAnd suppose I asked everyone here to get up,
\nmove to the center aisle, and stand somewhere on that line,
\nsomewhere on that spectrum,
\nclosest to the family that most resembles your own.
\nThink back over the holidays now
\nand recall the scene in your house just yesterday on Christmas,
\nor on Christmas Eve,
\nor the last time you gathered together,
\nor your last phone call or text exchange
\nwith your children, grandchildren, brothers and sisters.
\nWhere would you place your family on that line?<\/p>\n
\nbut how could we ever measure up to that kind of holiness?
\nAnd yet that is our call.
\nTo be a holy family.<\/p>\n
\nWhat could we do that would ever be good enough
\nfor us to be called a holy family?<\/p>\n
\nholiness is not the result of our own efforts.
\nThere is only one who is holy, and that\u2019s God.
\nHoliness comes from God being good enough,
\nand more than good enough, overflowing with goodness!
\nAnd wherever God is, is holy.
\nOur holiness comes from our connection to God,
\nfrom our relationship with God.<\/p>\n
\nis that a holy family is one in which God is present.<\/p>\n
\nand Jesus is God,
\nand wherever God is, is holy.
\nMary is holy because she carried Jesus, cared for him,
\ntreasured him in her heart all her days.
\nJoseph is holy because he protected Jesus, taught Jesus,
\nand devoted his life to providing for him.<\/p>\n
\nAnd Jesus can be present in surprising and unexpected ways.<\/p>\n
\nwhere were the moments of holiness in your own family?
\nI would suggest three signs
\nthat indicate the presence of holiness in a family:
\nsacrifice, reconciliation, and joy.<\/p>\n
\nAnyone who is part of a Christian family knows it takes sacrifice.
\nThe sacrifice of time and attention,
\nthe financial sacrifices, the emotional sacrifices, the spiritual sacrifices.
\nThe sacrifice of dreams, perhaps, that we had envisioned for ourselves.
\nTo be a Christian family is to sacrifice,
\nand all of those sacrifices can be signs of holiness.
\nWhat were the sacrifices present in your family
\nthis Advent and Christmas season?
\nThe sacrifice it took to bake Christmas cookies,
\nor to make Christmas dinner.
\nTime spent dressing the children for Christmas Mass.
\nThe hours it took to wrap Christmas presents.
\nThe money it took to buy those presents,
\nand braving the crowds in busy malls and stores.
\nSpending time in long lines at the airport
\nor driving over snow-covered mountain passes,
\nto get home in time for Christmas.
\nShoveling the snow so that guests wouldn\u2019t fall as they visited your home.
\nWhen sacrifices like these are done out of love,
\nthen that is Jesus working in your family, making it holy.<\/p>\n
\nJesus came to reconcile us to each other and to the Father.
\nWhenever Christian families reconcile,
\nthe holiness of Christ is there.
\nDid any reconciliation happen to take place over the holidays this year,
\nno matter how small?
\nEven just the inkling that a reconciliation might be possible in the future
\ncan be a sign of holiness.
\nWere there any apologies, handshakes, or hugs,
\nthat bridged an angry or awkward divide this Christmas?
\nAnytime someone takes a step toward forgiveness
\nand embraces another in love,
\nreconciliation begins to take place.
\nAnd where there is true reconciliation, Christ is present.
\nAnd where Christ is, God is,
\nand wherever God is, is holy.<\/p>\n
\nJoy is perhaps the surest sign of holiness in a family.
\nAt Christmas we sing \u201cJoy to the world, the Lord is come.\u201d
\nThink back on all the moments of joy you\u2019ve witnessed
\nin the last few days:
\nThe faces of the children and grandchildren opening presents;
\nthe joyous singing of Christmas carols;
\nthe feasting and laughter around the Christmas table;
\nplaying board games or card games.
\nEnjoying each other\u2019s company just for the sake of being together.
\nThese are joyful signs of holiness.<\/p>\n
\nthere is holiness.<\/p>\n
\nthat rather than sacrifice, reconciliation, and joy,
\nthe last few days have been filled
\nwith self-centeredness, division, and sadness.
\nThe holidays can be a very difficult and stressful time,
\nespecially for those who have experienced a recent loss,
\nor are alone,
\nor are in the middle of a difficulty family situation.
\nAnd whenever families gather,
\nthere is always the possibility of conflict or jealousy.
\nBut that doesn\u2019t mean there was no holiness present.
\nGod is present even and especially in our struggles.
\nAnd wherever God is, is holy.
\nIf the last few days have been an incredible challenge and struggle,
\nand if you look back wishing that there could have been
\njust a little sacrifice, reconciliation, or joy,
\nremember that even the desire for those things is holiness.
\nBecause that desire comes from God, and wherever God is, is holy.<\/p>\n
\nand as we look at the Holy Family,
\nwe may sometimes feel more like the McAllisters.
\nWe may even wish at times, like Kevin,
\nthat we could make our family disappear.<\/p>\n
\nand his presence can be recognized
\nin the sacrifices, reconciliation, and joy
\nthat we experience as family,
\nand wherever God is, is holy.
\nLet us set aside some time this week
\nto recognize and name the holiness we experience in our family
\nand to look for more ways
\nwe can sacrifice, be reconciled, and be more joyful.<\/p>\n