February usually provides a space of time between the Christmas celebrations and the increased focus on Jesus’s public life and ministry that occurs in Lent - a transition from the feast of Christmas to the fasting of Lent. Therefore, February is traditionally the time to recall the Holy Family; within the Holy Family is where Jesus spent the time between His birth and embarking on His public journey.
Because of the Holy Family's flight into Egypt, this feast has been observed by the Coptic Church from early times. In the western Church, the special devotion that proposes the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph as the model of virtue of all Christian households began in the 17th century. The devotion soon spread, and in 1893 Pope Leo XIII expressed his approval of a feast under this title and himself composed part of the Office.
In the words of his Holiness: "Nothing truly can be more salutary or efficacious for Christian families to meditate upon than the example of this Holy Family, which embraces the perfection and completeness of all domestic virtues."
The Holy Family models for us what family life should exemplify. It is a school of virtue for both parents and children. There we find God, and learn how to connect with God and with others. The family is where love is freely given without self-interest. It is where we learn to love, to pray, and to practice the gift of charity. Pope John Paul II said, “The family, more than any other human reality, is the place in which the person is loved for himself and in which he learns to live the sincere gift of self.” (Nov. 27, 2002)
We should ask ourselves if our own families model that of the Holy Family. We need to be open to God’s grace to value the positive and to accept our mistakes — and to be willing to rectify them. Parenting is a very challenging responsibility and at times errors are made despite the best intentions. Recognizing this, children should trust their parents and never forget that parents want only what is best for them.
Which leads us to what may be the most important family virtue — forgiveness. Living so intimately within the family nucleus naturally gives rise to situations where someone is apt to be offended. St. Paul knew this when he told us to “bear with and forgive one another.” The health of our family may depend on how quickly we learn to forgive without harboring feelings of resentment.
No family can thrive and grow without constant work. Even the material details that take time and effort are essential to keeping the family strong. Everyone has to pull together for the good of the family — even to the point of putting ahead of our own needs and ambitions the happiness of other family members, setting aside our own desires.
It’s very important to pray as a family, especially the holy rosary. Prayer helps us intensify our closeness with each other and to learn to forgive.
It’s also essential to discover the relationship between the Eucharist and family life. Pope John Paul II wrote, “In the Eucharistic gift of charity the Christian family finds the foundation and soul of its communion and its mission.” ( Letter on the Family , No. 57)
Another commendable practice for the month of February is a Consecration to the Holy Family. If you have a prayer corner or a home altar, you can gather the entire family and recite the consecration prayer, which reminds us that we aren’t saved individually. We all work out our salvation in conjunction with others—first and foremost, together with the other members of our family.
Grant unto us, Lord Jesus,
ever to follow the example of Your holy Family,
that in the hour of our death
Your glorious Virgin Mother
together with blessed Joseph
may come to meet us
and we may be worthily received by You
into everlasting dwellings
who lives and reigns, world without end.
Amen
Excerpted from: Catholic Culture
Archbishop Charles Chaput, O.F.M.
