Christmas is a time for family, use Holy Family as model

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, I want to wish you a very joyous Christmas. This is the second Christmas in which I have the honor to serve as your bishop and I cannot think of a better place to serve as bishop than in the diocese named after our Savior.

Christmas is a time for family and we should take the Holy Family as our model in our daily lives. Like Jesus, we all begin life in families, which is where we begin to learn about relationships, that is where we learn to be in communion and unity with one another. As families develop in their relationships, the more united they are as a family and the stronger their relationships grow in a mutual receiving and giving.

I pray that this Christmas will be one of communion in your families. Many times during these joyous holy days, however, people find themselves isolated and alone. It is in a family’s love that this feeling of isolation is overcome and people no longer feel alienated from one another. They also learn how to relate to others beyond the family. The family is the real core value of learning how to live a life in the image of the Holy Trinity, a life of communion.

There is a true mysticism that is part of relationships and especially part of the mystery of suffering. If we are truly disciples of Christ, we must take up our cross every day and follow him. And so, in a way, the differences that we discover in one another are actually a way of discovering the fruitfulness and the mystery of the cross in our relationships with one another.

When I think of Christ being present in the family, I recognize that Christ actually lives in the family where love is present. In Matthew 18:20 Jesus said, “Wherever two or three are gathered in my name I am present in their midst.” His presence needs to be discovered more and more as a gift. Following are ways in which families can live so that they merit the gift of Jesus present among them.

Love one another equally

There are obviously different expressions of love in a family––the love of husband and wife, the love of parents for their children, the love of children for their parents, the love of siblings. We know we cannot exclude anyone in any of the relationships that exist in the family. We also should not show favoritism––one child over the other, one grandparent, etc. God does not love one person more than another, he loves all of us equally, which is how it should be within a family as well.

Always be the first to love

St. Paul speaks of anticipating one another in loving, taking the initiative. Many times in families, there are hurts, there are difficulties, and so we wait for the other one to apologize first before we take any action. But true love begins first and takes the first step.

Love concretely

Love is a sentiment, but it goes beyond sentimentality. Love is concrete as Christ showed us by giving his life on the cross. And so, our love must be concrete, whether it is a smile, washing the dishes after the meal, taking out the garbage or feeding the pets. There can be many concrete expressions of love in family life. Everything has value when it is done out of love.

See the presence of Jesus in each other

With that kind of a dynamic elevated love, I think we begin to see that love is beyond sentimentality, it is truly real. When we see the presence of Jesus in our family member, love becomes something sacred. It also remains mysterious in that we are fulfilling the commandment of Jesus to love one another. Thus we merit the gift of unity that Jesus prayed for the night before he died and we can experience Jesus’ presence among us to help our families become witnesses of God’s love in our world.

Again, I want to take the opportunity to extend a Christmas greeting, to all. I pray Christ will live not only in our hearts, but also live among us as the Body of Christ; that families may be shining examples of the presence of Christ in our midst.