Feast of the Holy Family

Gospel: Lk 2: 41-52

Merry Christmas! Yes, we are still celebrating, as we are in the midst of the Christmas season. Today the church focuses this week’s reading on the Holy Family. For most of my life, I had assumed that the readings were about families being perfect and mine was far from it.  So this weekend was always hard for me.  Since becoming a husband and father, I see these readings in a different light. The story of 12-year-old Jesus at the Temple reminds me of the few family road trips that my budding family has taken. I am the planner, and I want to stick to my schedule. My wife is the expert packer, and our 2 year old daughter always has a plan of her own. The story is a window into the life of families and the exciting “mile markers” that come along with it.  For the Holy Family, it was the presentation.  For us, it could be baptisms, graduations, family parties, and the like. We just want things to be “perfect”. It is in Jesus’ response that we learn that nothing is perfect or what we expected. We open ourselves to experiencing the highs and lows of family. 

Just as the Holy Family had challenges, we must also acknowledge challenges that families face today. Sometimes institutions, including the Catholic Church, limit families. From the high cost of living, to the threat of deportation, to gentrification: family life is under attack–and not in a way that some may have you believe.

Oftentimes, families look different too. Same-sex families, families without children, or families with LGBTQ children: All of these families are sacred and have a right to be acknowledged and ministered to by the institutional church. But often, they are turned away, or worse. That’s why we must all work together to advocate for all families, no matter how they look or what challenges they face.

Black Moses is the Call to Action Executive Director. He is based in New Orleans.