Jesus is God, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity. He is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. He is the Messiah, the Savior of the world. He is priest, prophet, and king. When we recite the Nicene Creed at Mass on Sunday, each of us proclaims, “I believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, one in Being with the Father. Through Him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation He came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit He was born of the Virgin Mary, and became man.” Jesus is true God and true man. He is the Word made flesh. He is the son of Mary.

Mary is the Christ-bearer, the Mother of God. She was betrothed to the righteous man Joseph, a carpenter, when through the power of the Holy Spirit she conceived Jesus in her womb. Saint Luke writes in his gospel (1:26-31, 34-35, 38), “The angle Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, ‘Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!’ But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus…And Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?’ And the angel said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.’…And Mary said, ‘Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your will.’” Mary is the handmaid of the Lord. She is the Immaculate Conception, the Perpetual Virgin, and the Queen of all saints. She is not only the mother of Jesus, but she is our mother. She is full of grace, and all generations have called her blessed.

Joseph is the husband of Mary and the step-father of Jesus. He is a just man and a descendant of King David. Joseph is the chaste spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary. He was a witness to the birth of Jesus, and most importantly, Joseph was the earthly guardian of the Holy Family. He is the patron of workers. He is the Patron of the Universal Church. He is the Guardian of the Redeemer. He is the model of holiness. He is an excellent example of how God calls each one of us to subordinate our will to the will of God. Saint Matthew writes in his gospel (1:18-21, 24), “Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. When His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the Holy Spirit. Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly. Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her.’ When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home.”

Together, Jesus, Mary, and Joseph embody the most famous, most holy family of all time. We look to them for direction and guidance in living our earthly lives as a member of our own family. Don’t think that the Holy Family sets too high a standard for us to emulate. When we seek to be the best at anything in life, we look to the best example we can find. If you want to be the most successful athlete, the most respected writer, the most trusted politician, wouldn’t you study and attempt to emulate the best individual example you could find? Sure you would. Likewise, if you’re a man and a woman looking to get married and to start a family, who better to look to as an example than the Holy Family?

Every human being ever conceived is a child of God, called to do His will. As we read in Matthew and Luke’s gospels, Mary and Joseph set aside their will and did the will of God. They followed the laws and customs of their Jewish faith: Jesus was circumcised on the eighth day; and they worshipped on the Sabbath and Holy Days. Joseph took his family from the comfort of their home and led them to safety in Egypt. When Mary and Joseph found their lost twelve year old son in the Temple, Jesus willing went home with His parents and was obedient to them. Mary became a widow and witnessed the agonizing death of her only son.

Like the Holy Family, your family is called by God to be obedient to Him. Parents are called to safeguard and care for their children, to educate them in the Catholic faith, to ensure they receive the Sacraments, to worship on Sunday and Holy Days, and to lead by example. Children are called to respect their parents and to be obedient to them.

The Holy Family placed their complete trust in God and lived the virtues of faith, hope, and charity (love). If you disregard their success as a family because Jesus was God, Mary was full of grace, and Joseph was a righteous man who was visited by an angel of God, then you are saying that God cannot achieve good things in me; His grace does not have the power to change my life; and He doesn’t know what’s best for my family.

The Holy Family, like any other family in the history of mankind, faced the difficulties, challenges, and joys of every day life. Let us look to the Holy Family for direction and guidance. Let us seek to imitate their faithfulness to God.

For more insight read CCC paragraphs 452-455, 479-483, 486. Also, pull out your “Catholic” Bible and reference Sir 3:2-6, 12-14; Mt 1:18-25; Lk 1:26-38; 22-52; Jn 2:1-8; Eph 6:4; Col 3:12-21.