"We are not the sum of our weaknesses and failures; we are the sum of the Father's love for us…" –St. John Paul II
Our family members, friends, and neighbors may not be Catholic, are they called to come to Christ? If they are, this puts us in a difficult position. Not everyone wants their beliefs or experiences challenged. Because of this, our society is beginning to teach that all faiths, all beliefs, are equal. Do we believe this? Does God simply call a hindu to be the best hindu he can be or does he call all peoples to his Son, near and far? Let us look to the scriptures.
How can our families be like the Holy Family? They are so perfect, and they follow God so closely, but yet they are profoundly human. We hear in today’s Gospel how they not only lost Jesus, but they weren’t able to fully understand him. In our families, how many times have we lost Jesus for a time? How often do we not understand what he is saying or doing? The Holy Family is a human family. They faced challenges, misunderstandings, and made mistakes. Not sinful mistakes, but human ones. In their humanity, they remained faithful to God and to one another. In their humanity, they remained fruitful, open to bringing forth divine and human life into the world. Like the Holy Family, our own families need to be at the service of humanity through faithful and fruitful love.