December 28, 2025 - Feast of the Holy Family

[00:00:00] Foreign. [00:00:07] Thanks for taking time for the Lord today. It's Sunday, December 28th, and the Feast of the Holy Family. [00:00:27] We begin today with a quote from Pope Benedict xvi. [00:00:32] God had chosen to reveal himself by being born into a human family, and the human family thus became an icon of God. [00:00:42] God is the Trinity. [00:00:44] He is a communion of love. [00:00:47] So is the family, despite all the differences that exist between the mystery of God and his human creator, an expression that reflects the unfathomable mystery of God as love. [00:01:13] If I've been thinking about coming home to church, I've probably been wondering what it was going to be like and what I might say if someone asks me why I am there. [00:01:26] It's one of those times when what ought to be said is difficult to say. [00:01:32] A lot of feelings are involved, and feelings are not easily captured in words. [00:01:40] Perhaps I've felt unwelcomed at Mass because of separation or divorce. [00:01:46] Perhaps I've been angry because of all the changes in the church or the way they were implemented. [00:01:53] Or perhaps I had a bad experience at the time of a baptism or a wedding or a funeral. [00:02:02] Maybe it's something else, a disagreement with a priest over just about anything. [00:02:09] The Lord taught that I never have to be a victim of the past. [00:02:14] His gift of forgiveness and healing sets me free. [00:02:18] Free to be at peace despite bad memories. [00:02:22] Free to love again, free to laugh. [00:02:28] Picture that scene when the risen Lord first met the disciples after they had let him down, and his first words to them were, peace be with you. [00:02:40] Remember their reaction, the Gospel says, at the sight of the Lord. The disciples rejoiced. [00:02:49] It must have been quite a moment, that first meeting. [00:02:53] But in that moment it happened. [00:02:56] They were back together again. [00:03:01] Spend some quiet time with the Lord, sa.