(Audio)
And over all these put on love,
that is, the bond of perfection.
There is a specific shape this love is meant to take and a specific form in which the bond of perfection is most perfectly realized.
God sets a father in honor over his children;
a mother's authority he confirms over her sons.
From the very beginning of the human story the family has been the basic building block. It is the basic organizing principle. It comes before institutions and governments. It retains priority and primacy over them even now. They exist to serve the family and not vice versa.
And let the peace of Christ control your hearts,
the peace into which you were also called in one body.
And be thankful.
The Church is a bigger family that joins together our smaller ones. Israel was God's family in a special way. Hence we hear, "Out of Egypt I called my son" first in reference to the nation (see Hosea 11:1). But it is then spoken of Jesus, in whom there is no Gentile or Jew (see Galatians 3:28). In Jesus those of all nations are invited to belong to the family of God. He allows us to become sons and daughters through his own divine Sonship.
It is no accident that Jesus was born into a family. It is through his birth in a family that all families are sanctified. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, are the models and exemplars of the perfection of family life.
Although we are not perfect we can still look to the Holy Family for their guidance and for their intersession. Joseph especially shows us how to live our responsibilities with humility and yet with courage.
Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night
and departed for Egypt.
Mary teaches us how to be available to God and how to treasure his work in our lives. Jesus himself shows perfect deference and obedience to the Father's will, and also to that of his earthly parents. He still holds their prayers in great esteem. Let us become a part of this Holy Family together with our own families, all united under the Fatherhood of God.
Whoever honors his father atones for sins,
and preserves himself from them.
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