Merry Christmas! I would love to share with you a reflection on the Holy Family in relation to your own family this Christmas, by Most Reverend Julian Porteous, the Archbishop of Hobart in Australia. I want to reflect on it, in my heart and soul. You have to read it, or watch his video, because it is just beautiful and exactly defines what family means this Christmas. Archbishop Porteous is truly a holy man.
“Christmas is a time for families and Christmas invites us into the wonder of the birth of the child. With our celebration of Christmas, society will gaze upon a child born in a manger that will see a mother and a father wrapped in wonder; will see a family and its simplicity and in its vulnerability. We will see models of motherhood in Mary and fatherhood in Joseph. We will be reminded that human life travels through the family. Christmas each year invites us to ponder the goodness of God indeed His good plan for every human life. We are drawn to reflect upon the nature of family. But family is not a problem to be solved. It’s certainly, family is not something to be dismissed as inconsequential for human existence. It’s not something to be reduced to a consumer’s purpose alone nor is it something to be so idealized, as we sometimes see in Christmas commercials, that we think that our experience is deficient. Family is family. Pope Francis reminded us this year that no family is perfect. But we can also say that no family is a complete failure. We know that we all need family. We know its joys and its achievements. We know that it offers so much for the growth of sound human life. We experience family as it is the way for human life and every parent would know deeply the wonder of new life; that one supreme human moment of holding a newly born child in your arms. The surge of joy, of wonder, of love is something impossible to describe. To be aware that you have mothered or fathered this new life is a moment of awe. The desire to foster, nurture and protect this new life abides strongly in your heart. Yes, there is sadly a concerted attack on the natural family, particularly through seeking to redefine its true foundation in a complementary contribution of motherhood and fatherhood. But we should not be distracted from what we know as the profound truth. And this truth is revealed to us in Bethlehem. For in the stable, we see a family in its innocence and simplicity. In the crib we see the promise of redemption and in Bethlehem we the hope for humanity. So when we come together with our families during this Christmas season, let us indeed celebrate what it is to be family. I wish you and your family the joy of Christmas.”
– Archbishop Julian Porteous
My Personal Thoughts on Archbishop Julian Porteous’ Christmas Message:
More than any occasion or time of the year, it is during Christmas season that families get together. Whether you live with your family, or you have to travel back home, Christmas makes you feel emotional that you just have to make sure that you spend this day with your loved ones one way or another.
For many families, there will be parties, so much fun and laughter, scrumptious food, luscious liquor and such an abundance to share on Christmas this year. That can be the picture of what Archbishop Porteous says as the “idealized” version of families, wherein everyone takes pleasure and feels overwhelmingly filled to the brim. That is the way some companies do their commercials and marketing. But what if your family is not as happy, or distant, incomplete, or far from ‘ideal,’ would you still have a “Merry Christmas” with them?
As Archbishop Porteous points out, this “idealized” image of families you see in Christmas commercials may make you feel that your family is insufficient; that your family’s Christmas “experience is deficient.” But we must remember that the family should not be “reduced to a consumer’s purpose alone” or measured by the material things you enjoy together. This Christmas, we need to gaze at Jesus as He lies in the manger and dwells amongst us. We must closely look as well at His Holy parents, Mary and Joseph, who love and care for Him with much devotion. Our Lord Jesus Christ, God and Man, is born into a poor family with “simplicity and vulnerabilities.”
Like Jesus, your family might also have its own problems and vulnerabilities that the Holy Family has, but you can still experience with them a truly joyous “Merry Christmas” by giving them the gift of holy and selfless love. This love, when you give to your family amidst their vulnerabilities and flaws, is holiness in the eyes of God, if you just give it unconditionally to your parents, your wife or husband, your brother or sister, your children, or any other people that you consider your family. This love, offered together with your fervent prayers, would help them to lead a Catholic life that is pleasing to God, especially when times are hard. Such was the holy love that Mary and Joseph offered to Jesus from the depth of their hearts and souls.
Our God is a God of love that He can turn your family’s weaknesses and imperfections into strengths, as long as you faithfully ask for His mercy, compassion and guidance. For some, you may feel as though your family members are the biggest “Cross” in your life. But by loving them, that is, by helping them become holy and praying for them that you all get to Heaven, your “Cross” might turn out to be your biggest blessing, not only here on earth but in Heaven someday.
Pope Francis says that while no family is perfect, no family is a complete failure too. “Family is family,” Archbishop Porteous reminds us. There might be sad things that have happened in the past in your family or miseries that you continue to bear and endure. But don’t put those trials into waste. Use them to make yourself better and holier; Pray without ceasing; Love your family even more. This Christmas, let us try to mirror the qualities of Our Blessed Mother Mary and Saint Joseph in ourselves and make our family a home such as that of the Holy Family in Bethlehem.
On behalf of www.TheBestCatholic.com, I greet you and your family once more a blessed Merry Christmas!
Mama Mary, pray for us!
Amen.
She graduated cum laude from the University of Santo Tomas, the country's Pontifical and Catholic university, with an AB in Legal Management and minor units in Theology.
As an unmarried woman, prayer holds a central place in her daily life, with a focus on the Rosary and the Divine Office. Embodying her faith, she emphasizes the growth of her inner spiritual life, guided by the wisdom of Carmelite spirituality.
God manifested to her in a unique and radical manner, which made her know Who He truly is and led her to total surrender of her life to Him.
She has studied the Bible with her family, developing a particular fondness for the Old Testament.
Her adorable and intelligent toy poodle is a delightful companion in her daily life, bringing warmth and joy to her home.
Her hobbies include reading about everything, learning Japanese and German, listening to music and playing the flute.
In her leisure time, she enjoys gaming on PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch OLED, Nintendo 3DS, iOS and OS, and collecting things related to PlayStation and Nintendo.
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