From the Desk of Father Nathan

A Message from Father Nathan

My dearest people closest to my heart!

God bless you and your generous heart.

Celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family

This week we are celebrating the Feast of the Holy Family. This feast is on the first Sunday after Christmas.

What is the Feast of the Holy Family

This Feast of the Holy Family commemorates their life together, and the celebration focuses on religious family life, because of the flight of the Holy Family into Egypt.

This feast day was formally instituted in 1921 under Pope Benedict XV.  It was originally celebrated on the Sunday after Epiphany (January 6, the Feast of the Holy Family was moved to the Sunday after Christmas in 1969, bringing it within the Christmas season.

Learning to Live as the Holy Family

To best learn how to live as the Holy Family did, we must incorporate Jesus, Mary, and Joseph into our lives through affection. As within our own families, analysis and reason are insufficient when it comes to enduring trials.

Only love, supplemented by faith and hope, will suffice. As human beings, love is a choice that we are always free to make. Thus, the Gospels and Church, particularly in her liturgy, stress Jesus’ total freedom in giving His life for us. Embracing the Holy Family means accepting them as they are – and ourselves as well.

Lectio Divina (Divine Reading) of the Scriptures

 

Lectio divina  is Latin for “divine reading” and is a traditional Christian practice of reading, meditating, and praying the Bible to deepen one’s understanding of God’s word and to commune with God:  

• Reading: Slowly and reflectively read a short passage of Scripture aloud. Pause on words or phrases that resonate with you.
• Meditation: Reflect on what you read.
• Contemplation: Contemplate on what you read.
• Prayer: Respond to God in prayer.

 

We (re)discover the Holy Family through the process of lectio divina on the Scriptures, by which we invite them into our lives and open ourselves to the Spirit. Traditional devotions such as the Rosary and the Stations of the Cross are proven ways of entering into the mystery.

We embrace them as we would a family member, and in a different way they are no less challenging. They long to become part of us, related by adoption through human and divine choice.

The Perfect Time to Renew Devotional Practices

The Feast of the Holy Family is a wonderful time for Catholics across the theological spectrum to renew their devotion to them. Devotion to the Holy Family and love of family are complementary practices as the former is the model of the local and universal human family. Embracing the Holy Family means entrusting ourselves to them like a child, in the manner proposed by Jesus (cf. Lk 18:16-17). Through emulation in prayer, service, and obedience, we cultivate this enthusiastic disposition. Venerable Fulton Sheen inscribed “JMJ” in remembrance of the Holy Family whenever he wrote religious reflections and instructions

Wishing all of you a prosperous New Year 2025.

With lots of love and blessings.

Ever wanting to be faithful to your service,

— Fr. Sahayanathan Nathan