In today’s First Reading, most of us assume a few things when Abraham is asked by God to look up to the skies and count the stars. We usually assume he can count. We assume that it is a clear sky and we assume it is night. But apparently though, it goes on to say that it is actually day time when Abraham is told to look up in the sky and count the stars if he can. Abraham believed and his faith is counted in his favour. A man and a woman whose bodies are as though dead to life, conceive and bring forth new life, Isaac. What does this mean to us? A few things for sure. First of all, faith is essential in order to bring spiritual life into our families. What might seem to be dead can be brought back to life with faith. Often when you and I pray, we want to see something happen, we want to know if God cares about the same thing that we do and whether He will simply ignore us and not care. I assure you, as does God, that He cares deeply yet it is not always the right time or the right way for God’s plan to be fulfilled.
When it comes to our families, God cares and loves them more than we do. So then, why isn’t He bringing them back to the Church, as He has been asked to do? Good question. Look up to the heavens and count the stars. You can’t see them but you know they are there. Trust in God and thank Him for His care. This Sunday is the feast of the Holy Family and the Holy Family might seem a little lofty for us. In the Holy Family you have Joseph who, though not conceived without original sin, must have been pretty good since He would have represented God to the Child Jesus. We have sinless Mary and Jesus, God. Not a lot could go wrong because sin was not inside, it was on the outside. So then, how are they a model?
First of all they show us God’s design for us to live in a family. They show the perfection given to us by God, through grace and that every family is meant to be a domestic Church. There is a Priest, Prophet and a King and Queen in the Holy Family. They live surrounded by grace. How are we doing in the area of a holy family, with our house being a domestic Church? A challenge for sure. I was thinking that if our houses are places set aside for God then there should be more people asking for house blessings. The Church has a tradition on Epiphany to bless the house and then write over the door 20 + C+M + B + 18. The letters have two meanings. First, they represent the initials of the Magi — Caspar, Malchior, and Balthazar — who came to visit Jesus in His first home. They also abbreviate the Latin phrase, Christus mansionem benedicat: “May Christ bless the house.” The “+” signs represent the cross, and the “20” at the beginning and the “18” at the end mark the year. Taken together, this inscription is performed as a request that Christ bless those homes so marked, that He stay with those who dwell therein throughout the entire year.
Ancient Israel used to write on their door post the Shema prayer, “Hear, Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One,” to remind them of God and His place in their lives. In many Catholic homes there are statues of saints and a crucifix somewhere. Some have enthroned the image of the Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart. These are all really good things to have, but do we really think of our home as a domestic Church and the father of the home as the family priest? If the home is a Church, perhaps there should be an altar in our homes where we are reminded of God’s intercession in our lives, a corner set aside for God. Many homes have entertainment rooms or a corner dedicated to commercialism or sports. How many homes have a chapel and altar space dedicated to God? Most homes I visit have a corner set aside for the TV where some good things come into the house but mostly bad, mostly against our faith. We need to rededicate our homes with Jesus as the centre, from whom we receive the true strength to live our lives. Families need to get into the habit of some sort of night prayers where the family priest, the father, leads. Of course, a mother could do that if the father isn’t Catholic, but it should be the father. Now most men would say, “My wife is far holier than me, why should I lead?” Well, the Holy Family is a great example. The least holy in the Holy Family was actually Joseph. He was certainly holy but not the holiest, nevertheless, he led the family in prayer and devotion and so should you as men, fathers and husbands. We should also have a morning offering in our family where we dedicate our day to God. For your convenience, I have made a little handout as a suggestion that you can use. Please take sometime to think on how you are going to work on your own holy family this year. Remember that sometimes when we follow God it may feel like we are trying to count the stars in midday but our faith and trust will save us. Let us put God back into the centre of our family.
