| Sts. Joseph Paul Catholic Church | Homily Archives | |
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Holy Family – A She drove a rental car slowly up a snow-covered mountain road one cold Christmas Eve. She was going to see her father, whom she hadn’t seen for 15 years. She was sixteen when he walked out on her and her mother, and neither had forgiven him. He had moved to Colorado “to rest his weary soul and find solitude in the mountains,” as he wrote in the first letter that he sent them after he left home. He took a job with the national parks. He regularly sent letters from a town called Ward, and she saved each one of them, placing them in a cookie tin. As she
drove, one of the lines from the last letter he sent her flashed through
her thoughts. “I hope that you will be able to forgive me someday. I love
you.” Could she forgive him? Was that why she had come? Even after a
long flight, and a longer drive from the airport, she still didn’t know.
She came to a four-way-stop, and a sign said "Ward, 3 miles." She turned up the road. As she pulled into the town, she wondered in which of the houses he lived. She drove up in front of the general store and went in. A woman behind the counter asked, “Can I help you.” “I am looking for my father, Jim Neale; do you know him?” “You mean, Old Jim. Sure he is in here all the time. You must be Grace. He told me about you.” It pleased Grace to know that he had spoken about her, but she didn’t remember him as old. “Everyone’s up at the church at Mass. You can leave your car out front. It is easier to walk from here.” Grace slowly made her way up to the church. Her hands trembled as she opened the door of the church. Would her dad be happy to see her? Would he recognize her after all of these years? She spotted him, sitting by himself in the back pew. She knew why the woman called him Old Jim. His hair was thin and gray. He looked tired and ashen and very much alone. The congregation stood up to sing, “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing.” The words of this familiar Christmas carol rang out, and as she slipped in the pew to sit beside her dad, the people sang, “Glory to the newborn King, peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled.” With these words, she took her dad's hand and a smile came over his face; in the same instant, he turned to her and said, "Grace, I am so glad to see you.” “Daddy” was all that she could say. When they went they went to receive Jesus in Communion, Grace and her father walked together, hand and hand We would all like to be part of a perfect family, one that is void of problems and hurt. However, we know that with life comes hardship, and sometimes hurt, among family members. For some, these hurts may have happened years ago. For others, these hurts may have been recent. Maybe we caused the hurt. Maybe the hurt occurred because of the words or actions of another. As we look at Joseph, Mary and the child Jesus, we see the Holy family. Holiness doesn’t mean life will be perfect. Holiness means that we will be faithful in good times and bad. We see this faithfulness within the Holy Family, as Joseph listened to God and fled in the dark of night with Mary and the child Jesus. We can look to the Holy Family as a source of inspiration to show us how we can endure the hardships that are part of being a family. We can also look to St. Paul, who had a vision for the way Christian families can live together in holiness. He said that, as God’s chosen ones, we must put on heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, and patience; we must bear with one another and forgive one another. Most of all, he said that if another has hurt us, we must forgive as the Lord has forgiven us. Being
a holy family comes at a cost. But God gave us a Savior, who paid the cost
for us and brought forgiveness to our world. All we have to do is use it.
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