I once heard a family therapist say, “It is important for every family to get its saints out of heaven and its sinners out of hell.” The point is that it doesn’t pay to either idealize or demonize our families (or fellow family members).

Most of us like to keep things simple. In life we draw up a plan and then step-by-step try to put it into action. Get an education, get a job, start a family, build up savings, then retire. It sounds so easy and straightforward, doesn’t it?

Mary kept all these things to herself, holding them dear, deep within herself. The sheepherders returned and let loose, glorifying and praising God for everything they had heard and seen. It turned out exactly the way they’d been told!

Charlie and Lindsey have two young sons, ages 3 and 1. The couple has a wide network of friends, but they, like many others, have spent the last several months working from home, being very careful to keep themselves and their sons safe during the pandemic. 

Joseph, husband of Mary, had guts. He had the guts to pay attention to his dreams. He had the guts to trust his inner wisdom as opposed to conventional wisdom when he discovered that Mary was pregnant before their marriage, and also when he fled with his family to Egypt to escape the horrors of Herod who ended up sacrificing innocent children to protect his own power.

On this day of celebration of the coming of God's Son, we pray for the grace to welcome him and follow him.

The more holy someone is, the more cordial they should be with others.