Towards a Better Family Life
Fr. Daniel E. Evbotokhai
Ecclesiasticus 3:3-7,14-17/Psalm 127:1-5/Colossians 3:12-21/Matthew 2:13-15,19-23
Today we celebrate the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph; not because they lived in a bubble without problems, but because God was the center of their home. This feast is not about admiration alone; it is a challenge. It asks every family a dangerous question: If God inspected your home today, would He feel at home, or like a visitor?
Providentially, this feast comes at the end of the year, when families gather, eat together, laugh together and sometimes fight together. The Word of God today speaks directly into our living rooms, bedrooms, dining tables, and WhatsApp family groups. It is about towards a better family life.
- A Family That Takes God Seriously: The Gospel tells us that Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the Temple every year to fulfill the Law. This tells us something fundamental: the family is the first church. Before a child meets a priest or catechist, the child meets parents. Before a child learns prayers in church, they learn values at home. Many families will sacrifice everything for their children’s education; best schools, extra lessons, foreign certificates; but invest almost nothing in their spiritual education. We prepare children for exams but not for eternity. We fear failure in school but ignore failure in faith. Parents, it is your sacred duty to introduce your children to God, prayer, discipline, and the life of the Church. If you don’t teach them God, the world will teach them something else.
- Losing Jesus Is a Family Crisis: Mary and Joseph lost Jesus after a religious celebration. That alone is shocking. You can be “religious” and still lose Jesus. For three days they searched anxiously until they found Him in the Temple. That three-day search speaks loudly: God is not found by accident; He is found by diligence. Scripture says, “Those who seek me diligently will find me.” Many families have lost Jesus; not because He left, but because they stopped searching. We search for money tirelessly. We search for connections relentlessly. But how many families still search for God in prayer, Scripture, and sincere repentance?
- Yes, Holy Families Have Crises: Let us clear a dangerous lie: holiness does not mean absence of crisis. The Holy Family had crises. Losing Jesus was a crisis. Joseph’s confusion at Mary’s pregnancy was a crisis. Poverty was a crisis. Migration was a crisis. The Bible is brutally honest about family struggles:
- Cain killed Abel.
- Abraham’s home was divided.
- Joseph was sold by his brothers.
- Hannah cried in bitterness before she smiled in joy.
- David’s family was scarred by sin.
Crisis is not the problem. How you respond to crisis is the issue.
- The Survival Kit for Families: So what is the way out? St. Paul gives us the family survival kit: humility, patience, love, and forgiveness (Col 3:12–14). Without forgiveness, families become battlefields. Without patience, love suffocates. Without prayer, families collapse quietly. A family that prays together truly stays together. A family that eats together and plays together stays together. But above all, a family that invites Jesus in will survive the storm. The Holy Family is holy not because they had no troubles, but because they obeyed God in every situation. If you align your family with God; no matter the crisis, holiness becomes possible.
- Children Are Gifts, Not Entitlements: The story of Hannah reminds us: children are gifts from God, not products we control or goods in warehouses. Her story speaks hope to families facing infertility. God’s answers are not always predictable, but they are always purposeful. Kindly take those words to heart, and be open to the direction God leads. Sometimes the miracle comes biologically. Sometimes it comes through adoption. Sometimes it comes through spiritual parenthood. Parents are looking for children, and children are looking for parents. God rewards; but He alone determines the shape of the reward.
Today’s feast asks us one final question: Is Jesus lost in your family or is He at the center? Bring Jesus back into your home. Bring prayer back to your table. Bring forgiveness back into your relationships. And like the Holy Family, your family too; despite its struggles can become holy.
