Feast of the Holy Family

My dear friends in Christ,

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. In a beautiful address on December 28, 2011, at a Wednesday audience, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI spoke of the life of the Holy Family in Nazareth. Here is a short excerpt: "The house of Nazareth is a school of prayer where we learn to listen, to meditate, to penetrate the deepest meaning of the manifestation of the Son of God, drawing our example from Mary, Joseph and Jesus." "The Holy Family is an icon of the domestic Church, which is called to pray together. The family is the first school of prayer where, from their infancy, children learn to perceive God, thanks to the teaching and example of their parents. An authentically Christian education cannot neglect the experience of prayer. If we do not learn to pray in the family, it will be difficult to fill this gap later. I would, then, like to invite people to rediscover the beauty of praying together as a family, following the school of the Holy Family of Nazareth." (Catholic On-line) The Christian family is the first cell of the whole Christian Church. It is the place where we begin the journey toward holiness and learn to become more fully human. It is in this cohesive family unit that we learn how to pray and learn how to sustain and preserve that prayer. May we continue to pray for one another as we approach 2018.

On behalf of my weekend assistants Fr. Lennon and Fr. Florencio, Sister Robert, Deacons Mike and Jim and the entire staff here at Corpus Christi, may you all have a Happy, Healthy, and Holy New Year!

May God bless you all!

Father John