Newsletter The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary & Joseph (Year A) Sunday 28th December 2025
- glendalough5
- 13 hours ago
- 4 min read
Gospel Reflection:
Today we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family.
The love between a husband and wife and their children should reflect the love between the Holy Family of Jesus, Joseph and Mary and the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Imagine the love that exists between the three Persons of the Holy Trinity, or even the Holy Family.
That is the love God wants between a father, a mother and their children.
That is the Grace that God gives to a Catholic marriage.
The Grace that God offers to married couples is what we call the Sacrament of Marriage (or matrimony). God gives Himself, the Holy Spirit, so that a man and woman become One with Him and as a result one with each other.
Therefore, Jesus said (Mark, Chapter 10):
“What God has joined man cannot divide.”
Therefore, divorce is impossible. It cannot happen!
Therefore, the commitment couples make on the day they are married is for life.
Not only that but marriage is designed/intended by God to be ideal.
No matter how bad a marriage may get, God’s Grace is still sufficient to make the marriage an ideal one. Because the Sacrament gives infinite Grace.
(The Sacrament gives God Himself, the Holy Spirit)
Young people today have a sickness called selfism.
A modern-day term to describe someone who refuses to deny their self-will.
Every baby is totally self-willed.
Their only desire is for themselves.
We need to mature out of the baby stage.
What is the remedy?
One suggestion is to cultivate a sense of mission with the children.
Teach them that they have a purpose beyond the self.
This is done, firstly, by teaching them to pray for others.
Through prayer we make a difference to the world.
A person of prayer has much more influence over the world than any other person, even if they are a President or Prime Minister.
And God does answer prayer – and with generosity, because He loves us infinitely.
There is a schoolteacher who comes here to Mass, Mark.
Mark was teaching at a school in Perth.
One student adamantly refused to believe in God.
Mark asked him to pray for a miracle.
That day there was a storm.
For example, some of the bushes and trees at the school were bending over under the strong winds.
The boy asked Mark to ask God to stop the storm.
Mark said a prayer – only a few words, something like:
“Lord, stop the storm.”
About 10 or 15 minutes later the storm suddenly stopped,
but that was enough for that boy to be completely convinced that a miracle had taken place.
Later the boy was playing AFL. He had the opportunity to kick for a goal,
but the wind was strong, and it was against him.
He prayed “stop the wind”.
God did better – He made the wind change direction so that as the boy kicked the ball the wind pushed it between the posts.
A way to cultivate a sense of mission is to teach the children redemptive suffering.
When there is something difficult in their lives, physical pain, rejection,
temptation, teach the children to ‘offer it up’ as Jesus did when crucified,
knowing that merit or Grace is given to others.
St. Therese as an infant was taught by her mother to make sacrifices for God and for others.
She was taught the practice of using a string of ten beads in her pocket
to count each cross or sacrifice that she offered up for God and others.
The aim was to offer up as many crosses or sacrifices each day
in order to give as much merit or Grace to the world as one can.
(We can use Rosary beads).
In this way St Therese reached a high level of sanctity.
St Therese was called by Pope Pius XII in 1924:
the greatest saint in modern times.
St John Paul II, wrote a letter to parents called Familiaris Consortio,
where he wrote:
“Do you teach your children Christian prayers?
Do you prepare them for the Sacraments…
do you encourage them when they are sick to think of Christ’s suffering?
To invoke the aid of the Blessed Virgin and the Saints?
Do you say the family Rosary together?
In this way you bring peace to your homes, and you build up the Church”.
Children are capable of great virtue:
Teach your children to become great saints.
On May 13, 1917, Our Blessed Mother appeared in Fatima, Portugal to three children, Lucia, age: 11, Francisco, age: 9, and Jacinta, age: 7.
Our Blessed Mother asked the children:
“Would you be willing to accept all the sufferings it may please God to send you;
for the love of God, conversion of sinners and reparation for sins committed against my Immaculate Heart?”
The three children replied: “Yes, we would like that very much”.
Our Blessed Mother showed great pleasure in the children’s response and added:
“You will soon have much to suffer but the Grace of God
will help you and give you the strength you need”.
Jacinta, in particular, made as many sacrifices as she could.
(Jacinta is only 7 years of age)
There were two families, whose children used to go begging door to door.
The young visionaries would give them their lunch, everyday
On one occasion, the children decided to fast from water for a month. After 30 days, Jacinta asked for water, because she was extremely weak.
Lucia went to a neighbour and was given a pitcher of water.
When she offered the pitcher to Francisco and Jacinta they refused saying
“I want to suffer for the conversion of sinners”.
Lucia then gave the water to the sheep.
Children are capable!
Our Lord said, “Be holy as ‘I am’ holy”.
We are called to live as Christ lived.
By lives of prayer and sacrifice we will fulfill our purpose
which is to restore God’s Kingdom.
We need to know how great and significant we are to God’s plan.