December 28, 2025: Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph

God entered our world and our humanity, including our family relationships.  Christ was born of Mary and raised by her and St. Joseph, so He could model how we can live in our families virtuously. St. Paul writes about virtuous living in the reading from Colossians, both in general ways and specific ways to each of our particular roles in families as husbands, wives, parents, and children.

By seeking to honor and uphold one another, we continue to live out the meaning of Christmas by making God known in our world.  For we first grow in love within our families, and then it spreads beyond us to bless the world.

It's the 28th day of the month, which is a celebratory day that evokes November 28, when my family came to live in Oak Park.  It's also the birthday of Iowa, and I have family connections there.  These two occasions speak to how family has meant so much to me in my lifetime.

And the family unit has so much to offer the world, because in families, we learn how love is a way to grow in holiness, which is why God entered into family life.