The associated reading for this reflection can be found in your Every Sacred Sunday Mass journal or online here.
Reflecting on the Holy Family is particularly powerful for me this year because we just welcomed our second son at the end of October. After an exhausting pregnancy and a painful, traumatic labor, our sweet boy was officially out in the world, wailing his little newborn cries.
My husband and I enduring the exhaustion of cluster feeding in those first 48 hours, eyelids heavy as he changed diapers and I nursed in the low light of the hospital room. We rejoiced when our five-year-old met his new brother the next day, and we caught little bursts of sleep when we could.
Then, just two days after going home, we rushed back up to the hospital—both boys in tow—where I was admitted for postpartum pre-eclampsia. My world shrunk to the hospital room, the cries of my baby, and the misery I felt in my body. Anxiety, fear, and depression tugged at me relentlessly, and I struggled to hope.
Throughout the four days that I received treatment in the hospital, and in the weeks where recovery continued at home, my husband was a source of strength and support. Just like Saint Joseph in today’s Gospel, who listened to God’s call and followed faithfully, my husband faithfully lived out his vocation as a husband and father. He did so quietly and steadily, without a desire for recognition or praise. And just like Saint Joseph, God faithfully provided him with the strength and courage he needed to support his family in a time of uncertainty.
The Holy Family provides such a beautiful model for us to strive for as spouses, mothers, fathers, and children. When we fill ourselves with Christ’s love, we are able to pour into our families with that same unbounding love.
Lord Jesus, use my suffering to teach me to be more like you.
Show me how to be obedient and faithful like Saint Joseph.
Show me how to trust in you and surrender myself like Mary.
Inspire young Catholic families all over the world to look to the Holy Family for guidance.
Katie is a Catholic wife and mom from the Lone Star State. She recently left the classroom to launch her freelance writing business, McStravick Communications, in an effort to be a more present mom. When she’s not writing or playing make-believe games of epic proportions with her sons, Katie loves to read, get outside, and nerd out with her husband over their favorite shows.
