The Holy Family And What We Can Learn From Them

Today’s Monday Inspiration is all about what we can learn from the Holy Family to help our own families grow in faith and love.

Did you know there’s a family you can model your own family after? No, it’s not the family who sends you the picture-perfect Christmas cards each year. Or, the family who seems to have it all together on Facebook. It’s the Holy Family – Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. And, on the last Sunday of the year, we honor them as we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family. There’s a lot we can learn from the Holy Family that can help our own family grow in faith and love.

A Perfect Example

Truth be told, I always thought the Holy Family was too high of a standard to follow. After all, how can we possibly emulate the traits of the Holy Family with such good and perfect examples like Mary (who knew no sin), Jesus, (who was human and divine) and Joseph (a saint)? But, the scripture readings and reflections on the Holy Family tell me otherwise.

A Model of Faithfulness

The Holy Family is a model of faithfulness. They were totally devoted to God and his call on their lives. And, they faithfully followed their God-given vocations.

The Faithfulness of Mary

I’m amazed when I think about Mary’s faithfulness. In particular, her response when the angel appeared to her and told her she would give birth to the savior of the world. She didn’t shrink in fear. Or run to get someone’s opinion. Or even hesitate. She just said ‘yes.’ Throughout her life, Mary continued to model faithfulness as she tended to her home, cared for and raised Jesus, and ultimately surrendered her will to God’s as she watched Jesus suffer and die.

The Faithfulness of Joseph

Similarly, Joseph’s faithfulness to God’s plan was just as strong. When he learned of Mary’s impending pregnancy, he didn’t shun her. Or judge her. Or leave her or the family he was about to lead. Instead, he obeyed and believed what the angel told him. He was faithful to God plan.  Joseph was a solid leader of his family.  He protected them from those who wanted to hurt them and he provided for them through his occupation as a humble and hardworking carpenter.

The Faithfulness of Jesus

Jesus’ faithfulness to his heavenly Father was unwavering.  Throughout his ministry, he was criticized, judged, and ridiculed and eventually put to death. But, because of his faithfulness, we are able to share in eternal life with him.

A Model of Love

Love for God was the cornerstone of the Holy Family. Their love for the Father and their desire to be faithful to him and to please him in all things was what also strengthened their love for each other.

Out of love also came the virtues of obedience and acceptance.  They accepted God’s unique, individual plan for each of their lives and were obedient to His call. Mary accepted God’s plan to be the mother of Jesus. Joseph accepted taking Mary into his home and was obedient to being the foster father of God’s son.  Jesus accepted the will of his Father which was often a difficult road to follow but one he followed in obedience.

The Holy Family also models forgiveness. And forgiveness leads to love. In fact, Jesus was the prime model for forgiveness as part of the Holy Family. For example, Jesus didn’t utter a single word in his defense against those who hurt him. Furthermore, he forgave those who put him to death.

Applying the Holy Family’s Virtues to our Own Family

So how can we model the Holy Family’s virtues in our own families? How can we take what we’ve learned from the Holy Family and apply it to our own life? There are many ways we can follow the lead of the Holy Family in our own lives right now…

Pray together – First and foremost, as a family, our goal should be to draw each other closer to Christ. And, what better way to do so than through prayer? For instance, when we go to church each week to worship God and pray, we are modeling the example of the Holy Family. Likewise, sharing a family meal together and saying grace before eating is modeling the virtues of faithfulness of the Holy Family. And praying before bedtime and giving thanks for our blessings are examples too.

Be Faithful to Your Vocation – Jesus, Mary and Joseph showed faithfulness to their vocation.  And, we can do the same.  To illustrate, if you’re a mom like I am, offer up your daily chores such as cooking, cleaning, or doing laundry, to the Lord.  Remember that Mary did these things too. Namely, every time she took care of her home or looked after Jesus, she was faithful to her calling as a wife and mother. Above all, try doing your duties without grumbling or complaining. This can be difficult, I know. Instead offer your vocation to the Lord.  As married couples, we can model faithfulness by showing affection to one another, scheduling alone time, or by praying together. By doing so, we are being faithful to our marriage vocation and honoring the marriage covenant.

Honor Each Other – God wants us to honor each member of our family. For example, we can work on parenting our children with love instead of nagging. By the same token, we can show respect and love to our own parents, no matter what their age. Sometimes this is difficult as our own parents age and their health fails. But, no matter what stage of life we are in, God is calling us to be patient and to honor our family members as an act of faithfulness to him.

Accept Each Other – Oh how harmonious our family life could be if we learn to accept our family members without trying to change them! Just like the Holy Family, we are children of God. And we all have our own unique personalities. Similarly, God has a unique plan and purpose for each member of our family. So, not only do we need to accept God’s plan for our own life, but we need to accept that plan for others too. A great way to do this is by meditating on the Serenity Prayer.

Forgive Daily – This might be the hardest virtue of all to imitate.  Because it’s all too easy to let a hurt fester and grow instead of choosing to forgive and let it go. I recently read a reflection that spoke about turning the family home into a confessional and not a courtroom.  Meaning, let’s not become the judge and jury when it comes to our family.  Instead, let’s recognize that we all have imperfections and we are all sinners. When we do sin, let’s take it to the confessional of our homes. Let’s admit to any wrongdoing, ask for forgiveness, show mercy, and move on!

Be Present in Communication – The Holy Family certainly didn’t have as many distractions when it comes to communicating as we do today.  It’s ironic that the very devices we use to communicate, such as cell phones, computers, and tablets, actually get in the way of us being present in our communication to one another. To emulate the Holy Family’s means of communicating, we can take simple steps like looking each other in the eye when we speak; Putting aside our cell phones or an activity when someone is talking to us; And, basically just listen. To emphasize this point, on the Feast of the Holy Family this year, Pope Francis challenged all families to put their cell phones away during family meal time encouraging us to communicate just like the Holy Family did.

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone.  Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And, over all these virtues, put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. – Colossians 3:12-14 (NIV)

How can you apply what you’ve learned from the Holy Family in your own life? Please share in the comments section below.