A WORD FOR TODAY 29 DECEMBER 2019

A WORD FOR TODAY

FOLLOW THE EXAMPLE OF THE HOLY FAMILY AND BUILD UP A HAPPY FAMILY

Today we celebrate the feast of the holy family of Jesus Mary and Joseph. It is a celebration that presents to us the wonderful example of this family in building up our own individual families here on earth.

The Family is the bedrock of the human society. It is in the family that a child is nurtured and given the basic home training that will help him or her to contribute to the growth of the larger society. Therefore, when the family is good, the society will be good, but if the family is evil, then the society will invariably not be the best you can see.

The first reading of today presents to us the advice given by the author to the people of Israel on how to live their lives. He tells the children to honour their parents so that they will be blessed. Any honour given to our parents, even when they are old and could no longer comprehend anything will definitely bring us blessings. To honour ones parents opens doors for God's forgiveness, makes our prayers to be heard, gives us opportunity to be honoured by our own children, makes us to live long and to have a happy home.

In the holy family we find Joseph who played the role of a father to Jesus with devotion and care. He nurtured Him and showed Him the good path. We also see the Blessed Virgin Mary who in her obedience and humility was very respectful to Joseph and never failed in her responsibility to raise Jesus well. Finally, we see Jesus who obeyed the parents, loved them, respected them and brought them honour through His words and actions.

In the holy family we find love, respect, obedience, kindness, mercy, care, empathy, forgiveness, dedication to service, humility, patience, togetherness, peace and loyalty. If we intend to be good in our own families, then we must always look up to the holy family as a model we must emulate.

There is no perfect family, but with hard work, commitment and discipline we can build up a family we can be proud of anyday. For a family to be the best, the man, the woman and the children will live up to their responsibilities. The man will love the family and care for them, the woman will love the family and care for them and the children will love and honour their parents through obedience and respect and also care for them.

The family that prays together and feed on the word of God will always stay together. Therefore, every husband must strive to build a home where love reigns and every woman will support the husband to teach the children the way of holiness. The children must look up to their parents and strive to always do the good thing they see them do.

You can work hard to make your family what you want it to be from the very beginning of your marriage. Do not ignore your role as a father to your children and husband to your wife or as a child to your parent or wife to your husband and mother to your children, because that will simply be an invitation for the devil to enter and destroy and that will be catastrophic.

Good morning dearest one. Smile😊as you do your work and do have a blessed Sunday. May the example of the holy family inspire us to work for a happy family and God's blessings come upon all the families in the world today. Amen. *And may the Almighty God bless you: the Father and the Son and the Holy. Amen.

*Meditation:* Sirach 3:2-6,12-14/Psalm 128:1-5/Colossians 3:12-21/Matthew 2:13-15,19-23

*Watch-Word:* Blessed are all who fear the Lord and walk in His ways.

_*When love reigns in the family, there will be tremendous joy and peace in the heart of those who belong to this family.*_