Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph - Fr. Leo

Simeon was a devout man and the Holy Spirit was upon him.  Taking the child Jesus in his arms, he recognizes who he was and his role in salvation history.  Anna too, a woman of God, recognized Jesus as the Messiah. What both Simeon and Anna shared was the gift of the Holy Spirit.

They recognized the parents role too, as it was said Mary would suffer with her son and her heart would be pierced so that the thoughts of many may be laid bare.  Again, Mary was a woman filled with the Holy Spirit.

As we celebrate the Holy Family today, we also celebrate the church as part of the holy family.   We are called to live in the Holy Spirit that we may live united to God and all people of good will.  It is the Holy Spirit that makes for a holy family and this extends beyond the traditional family to a broader sense of “family” as the people of God.

Calling on the Holy Spirit from the heart opens us to being connected with others.  So needed in a time when the world over, isolation and loneliness is so prevalent.  In Denmark, there is a country wide programs that recognize how loneliness is affecting people of all ages.  So there is a growing efferent among the people of Denmark to reach out and contact or report people who may need connection.

I think of those efforts in Denmark as anonymous Christianity, the work of the Holy Spirit recognizing and healing what separates us as human beings.  The Spirit knows we were not meant to be alone, we are meant to live in communion/community with others.  If we are people of the Spirit, we too will reach out to be family to all, not only those of our blessed households. 

So let us pray for the Spirit to descend upon us and all humanity to make us one, so that loneliness, alienation and division may cease.  Come Holy Spirit and fill the hearts of your peoples!