Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph

 Lectionary: 17

Beloved, we are God’s children now;
what we shall be has not yet been revealed.
We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him,
for we shall see him as he is.

Since I came to the VA as a chaplain, over fourteen years ago, I began to call every man brother. It seemed appropriate among the male veterans; and some Protestants, seeing my Roman collar, preferred to call me brother. It feels comfortable in this setting. 

People like to speak of the "brotherhood of man" and the "sisterhood of nations." We're reminded that there is only one human race, and we're mutually dependent upon one another. We use words like interdependence, interconnections, and co-responsibility. 

Before the Internet invaded our lives the film The Mission (1968) showed how eighteenth century European politics impacted the life of distant natives of the Amazon jungle. Today, huge cargo ships move megatons of freight throughout the world, millions of airline passengers transmit viruses around the globe, and people talk to one another without asking, "Exactly where are you?" because they're online. There is only one economy on Earth and it pokes, pushes, and shoves every human being. Like it or not, we are family.

And today is the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. 

When is Jesus's birthday? Some cynics like to point to uncertain passages in the infancy  narratives that indicate he was born in the springtime. Someone told me recently he was born in late summer. I say, God knew what he was doing when he instructed Rome to impose December 25th on the western Churches as the Feast of the Nativity. The date is close enough to the winter solstice, an event observed by the entire planet, although it is also known as the summer solstice.

Christmas is an astronomical event, placing all nations and every human being within the orbit of the Solar System. It reminds us of the miracles of organic life and human life which appear only on this planet, within a Goldilocks region of our particular star, and within this constellation. The entire earth sees the solstice; Christmas makes it holy. Christmas announces the Holy Family of humanity. 

As one family we have to get along with each other. You choose your friends; your family you're stuck with. And we are stuck with one another. Our borders are porous and arbitrary; our laws are uncertain and confusing; we can rely on neither borders or laws to show how we should treat one another. 

For that we turn to our God who sends his only begotten Son to be our Lord, Savior, and Brother. We turn to Jesus who gives us Mary as our Mother, Sister, and Daughter. Receiving the Son and the Mother we become One World Holy Family with Saint Joseph.