FEAST OF THE HOLY FAMILY
The Feast is well-placed because Christmas is above all the season of the family. During the past extraordinary year we have come to appreciate in a new way that family is actually the most important thing in our lives. It is the cradle of our life and love which draws us back again and again. Family is forever. It is a Gospel in itself. It is good news for society. It is one of nature’s masterpieces. While parents stand at the centre of family life, we are reminded in the persons of Simeon and Anna in today’s Gospel extract that grandparents are a precious gem at the heart of the household too. They are the keepers of traditions and memories; the link between the generations and, as American author Alex Haley described so beautifully: ‘They sprinkle stardust over the lives of little children’. On the threshold of another year, we raise up in prayer our families, young and old, living and sleeping. May our departed ones sleep in peace and through the intercession of Jesus, Mary and Joseph may our homes continue to be circles of strength, schools of faith and communities of love.
Athbhliain shuaimhneach orainn uilig.