Holy Family

The family today is under serious threat. We see more and more families becoming broken. We see lack of face-to-face communication taking place; husbands and wives not talking to each other; children not talking to their parents or siblings. Instead of talking, they prefer to text and send messages, as they become more and more dependent on smartphones, whatsapp, Facebook and other gadgets and gizmos to communicate. We see greater increase in divorce rates, because some people are not happy in their marriages and instead of seeking help or making effort to get their marriages fixed, they look elsewhere for love and comfort. We see children being left alone at home or under the care of grandparents, maids or babysitters, as parents work late or prefer to live and enjoy their lives outside. We see elderly parents being abandoned or placed in nursing homes and rarely visited, because some people find it inconvenient to care for them (even though our parents were making sacrifices to care for us when we were young, some of us are unwilling to do the same when they are old). Some parents have even given up or lack patience to teach their children, preferring to wash their hands and let others do their dirty work.

All these things may sound like a hopeless situation. Does this mean that there is no hope for the Christian family? Is the Christian family doomed? No. There is hope, if we are prepared to make God and our faith the center of our lives again. The Holy Family, whose Feast we celebrate today, reminds us that it is not hopeless. The Holy Family was not a perfect family. since they too had their problems; but what sets them apart from other families is their faith in God. They understood that a family would not be able to grow truly as a family unless God is made the center of it. Once we make God the center of our lives, does that mean we will not have any problems? No. But we know that God will care for us and not abandon us. The problems we face become easier to manage, since God is in control.

Today, we give thanks to God for the many families around us. Each family is a precious gift of God, and must never be taken for granted. Let us offer each family to God and pray that each family would make more effort to let God be the center of their lives. Whatever obstacles and problems we face in our lives and in our families, let us not despair or give up. Let us let God be in control in our families, so that with His help and guidance, we would be able to do and accomplish all things for His glory.