On this, the Sunday within the Octave of Christmas, we honor the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. In honoring them, we also honor all families, big or small. And in honoring all families, we honor the family of God, the Church. But we most especially honor the day-to-day life of the Holy Family of Nazareth.

What was it like to live day-in and day-out in the household of St. Joseph? What was it like to have Jesus for a son, Mary as a wife and mother, and Joseph as a father and husband? Their home, presumably, would have certainly been a sacred place and a dwelling of true peace and unity. But it would have also been so much more.

Would the home of Jesus, Mary and Joseph have been, in numerous ways, just like any other home? They would have talked, had fun, disagreed, worked, eaten, dealt with problems, and encountered the things that make up daily life. Of course, the virtues of Jesus and Mary were perfect, and St. Joseph was a truly “just man.” Therefore, the overriding characteristic of their home would have been love.

But with that said, their family would not have been exempt from the daily toil, hurt and challenges that face most families. For example, they would have encountered the death of loved ones. Tradition tells us that St. Joseph most likely passed away prior to Jesus’ public ministry. They would have encountered misunderstanding and gossip from others. Our Blessed Mother, for example, was found with child out of wedlock. This would have been a topic of discussion among many acquaintances, for sure. They would have had to do daily chores, earn a living, put food on the table, attend gatherings of family and friends, and the like. They would have lived a normal family life in every way.

This is significant because it reveals God’s love for family life. The Father allowed His Divine Son to live this way and, as a result, elevated family life to a place within the Trinity. The holiness of the Holy Family reveals to us that every family is invited to share in God’s divine life and to encounter ordinary daily life with grace and virtue.

Christ, Himself, was the first devotee of His family. He showed His devotion to His mother and foster father by submitting Himself, with infinite humility, to the duty of family obedience toward them.

St. Bernard of Clairvaux said, “God, to whom angels submit themselves and principalities and powers obey, was subject to Mary; and not only to Mary but Joseph also for Mary’s sake [….]. God obeyed a human creature; this is humility without precedent.”

Let us reflect upon our own family life. Some families are strong in virtue, while some struggle with basic communication. Some are faithful day in and day out, while some are broken and deeply wounded. No matter the case, know that God wants to enter more deeply into our family lives -- just as it is right now. Let that be our challenge.

Advent is perhaps the most challenging liturgical season for Christians. The secular world has kidnapped this time intended for quiet reflection and has turned it into a time of premature celebration. During Advent, we spend four weeks trying to balance ourselves. Like standing in the middle of a seesaw, we often have one foot in the materialistic world of gifts, decorating and parties while the other foot is in the spiritual world of prayerfully expecting the miracle of Christ’s birth.

Advent comes from the Latin word, adventus, meaning “an arrival” or “a coming.” In the context of the season, Advent means that the Lord is coming.

Throughout our lives, He has come to us in different ways. First, Jesus came to us at a specific point in history in Bethlehem and lived among us. Second, the Lord, the Alpha and the Omega, will come to judge the living and the dead. In between these times, the Redeemer comes to us in grace. He comes to us in the Eucharist and in the Word of God, proclaimed. He appears before us in the person of the beggar, the suffering and the imprisoned. Advent reminds us we must be ready to receive and welcome Him whenever and however He comes. Stop, Look, & Listen!

Advent is a time of joy but with an attitude of penance: joy, because we can imagine nothing sweeter than the Christ Child and His Mother Mary coming to light; penance, because we should always strive to be properly disposed to receive the gift of His presence.

The simplicity of the liturgical season, in both decor and music, is intended to emphasize the penitential nature of preparation for Christmas--the celebration of the Feast of the Nativity.

So let us anticipate Christmas and Christ’s coming with restless but focused preparation. May our reflections here lead us to the joy of the season.

By choosing the name of Francis, our Holy Father has called the world to pay more attention to the beloved saint from Assisi, who taught us to live simply and care for the poor. A Christmas tradition started by St. Francis of Assisi may help us keep our focus more on the coming miracle rather than the latest sales. One way St. Francis reminded us of our Lord’s kinship with the poor was through the Nativity scene. We may think the Nativity scene is as ancient as the celebration of Christmas itself. Yet, Nativity scenes were unheard of until St. Francis set up the first one in a cave outside of Greccio, Italy, in 1223.

We may be able to keep our balance a little better this Advent by focusing on the rich symbolism of the Nativity scene. Inspiring words from Pope Francis, weekly Scripture readings and simple prayers can also help us find new ways to make this season of Advent a time of prayerful preparation, mercy, joy and expectation.

Stop, Look, & Listen!

On November 1, we celebrate All Saints’ Day and, as Scripture tells us, those in heaven are aware of the prayers of those on Earth. This can be seen, for example, in Revelation 5:8, where John depicts the saints in heaven offering our prayers to God under the form of “golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.” So, if the saints in heaven are offering our prayers to God, then they must be aware of our prayers. So, yes, the saints can hear us!

Some might try to argue that, in this passage, the prayers being offered were not addressed to the saints in heaven but directly to God. Yet this argument would only strengthen the fact that those in heaven can hear our prayers: for the saints would be aware of our prayers even when they are not directed to them! So, yes, the saints can hear us!

Jesus Christ is a unique mediator between man and God because He is the only person who is both God and man. He is the only bridge between the two, the only God-man. But that role as mediator is not compromised in the least by the fact that others can and do intercede for us.

Furthermore, Christ is a unique mediator between God and man because he is the mediator of the New Covenant (Heb. 9:15, 12:24), just as Moses was the mediator (Greek "mesitas") of the Old Covenant (Gal. 3:19–20).

St. Paul says that Christians should intercede: “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all men, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life, godly and respectful in every way. This is good, and pleasing to God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:1–4). Clearly, then, intercessory prayers are something “good and pleasing to God” not something infringing on Christ’s role as mediator.

When we ask someone to pray for us, are we worshiping that person? Of course not! It’s the same when we ask the saints to pray for us! In our prayers to saints, we ask them to put in a good word for us with God in Heaven. They are not the focus of our worship; God is. So, yes, the saints can hear us!

What is comforting about the saints is that we have so many members of our Church in heaven to look out for us! Do you ever feel some days like you need all the help you can get? You can ask one of many patron Saints for their assistance. They’ve been “put in charge” of various causes and occupations (and even countries!) through popular traditions or by the Church. These Saints are considered our protectors as well as our intercessors. So, yes, the saints can hear us!

Many prayers to Saints take these “patrons” into account. For example, people pray to St. Anthony for lost items; to St. Jude (or perhaps St. Rita) for lost causes; to St. Gerard for motherhood; to St. Peregrine for cancer victims; and to St. Dymphna for those with mental or nervous disorders or epilepsy… just to name a few.

The Blessed Virgin Mary is also considered a patron Saint and has been given quite a few names, including the locations in which she has appeared: Our Lady of Fatima, Our Lady of Lourdes, and Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Keep in mind that God also calls on us to be saints. This may seem like a tall order, but remember, with God’s help, we can live our lives reflecting His love and goodness, letting Him work through us-- just like the saints!

So, yes, the saints can really hear us … and we can hear them!