On the roll call of virtues God’s chosen ones should practice, the Letter to the Colossians lists “bearing with one another”—it’s along the lines of “you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” In daily life “bearing with” can mean “putting up with” or “tolerating” or “carrying one another’s burdens.”

In miracle-birth stories we’re reminded that all babies are a gift from God. When a child arrives into our families, we talk about being blessed, but then we might promptly begin to act in ways that betray our unconscious belief that children are more like possessions. We name them, pay for them, raise them, and are in every way responsible for them. They “belong” to us; are they not ours?

In the midst of the hustle and bustle of a busy downtown sidewalk, a little boy was walking very carefully on a long colored stone inlaid in the pavement—as if it were a balance beam, though he couldn’t “fall” off.

With a desire to walk in the ways of the Lord, we ask God to forgive us.

On this feast of the Holy Family, family imagery abounds. Ben Sira lays down a system of behavior and reward: If you honor your parents, your prayers will be heard and you’ll get children, long life, and banked-up righteousness you can use against your sins.

Waiting patiently is not a talent many of us have. Our tendency is to fill the waiting with all kinds of things to help us forget that we are waiting. Sometimes activity is good, but it can also be a distraction that keeps us from being present to God.

A child needs both to be hugged and unhugged. The hug lets her know she is valuable. The unhug lets her know that she is viable. —Polly Berrien Berends, Gently Lead