The Holy Family

by Fr. John Granato  |  12/28/2025  |  Words from Fr. John

My Dear Friends,

The celebration of our Lord's nativity is over, but the Christmas season has just begun. On the 26th of December we celebrate the first Christian martyr, St. Stephen. On the 27th we celebrate St. John the Evangelist. The 28th we celebrate the Holy Innocents. On the 29th we celebrate St. Thomas Becket. And on the 31st we celebrate Pope St. Sylvester.

The first Sunday after Christmas, unless it is January 1st, is the feast of the Holy Family, which does bump the celebration of any of the above mentioned saints. And on January 1st, we celebrate the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God. That concludes the octave of Christmas, but we still have a few more days of the Christmas season until the Baptism of the Lord. This year, we lose the feast of the Holy Innocents, which the Holy Family replaces. So today, we honor Jesus, Mary and Joseph. God entered into this world and took on human flesh in the person of Jesus Christ.

Jesus, the Second Person of the Trinity, was conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of Blessed Virgin Mary and raised as the son of St. Joseph. The Incarnation, the doctrine of God's becoming human, does not begin on Christmas day. Since we believe that life begins at conception, the incarnation also begins when Jesus is conceived on the solemnity of the Annunciation. It is at the Annunciation when God unites his divinity with his humanity. For nine months, the humanity of Jesus is growing and nourished in the womb of the Blessed Mother, and on Christmas day, the birthday of our Lord, God's humanity is revealed to the world in the manger in Bethlehem.

Families were always important in God's eyes throughout the Hebrew Scriptures and salvation history, but the fact that God became man and was raised in a family, indeed the Holy Family, God the Father, in his wisdom, sanctifies all families. Even though secular society tells us that there are different kinds of families, our Christian understanding of family is a union of a man and woman in a monogamous and stable relationship that brings forth new life.

Pope Leo XIV has reinforced this very teaching on at least two occasions since his election as pope. It is a difficult teaching of our faith, as witnessed by the large number of divorces in our society as well as the constant attempt to redefine marriage civilly. Regardless of how you define marriage and the family, all of us are called to conversion and repentance. On this feast of the Holy Family, let us pray for our families, especially those that are broken, that God will bring healing to all involved.

God bless!