{"id":2051,"date":"2011-12-30T10:00:16","date_gmt":"2011-12-30T16:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/customwordpresssites.com\/mjb\/?p=2051"},"modified":"2026-02-27T08:11:57","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T14:11:57","slug":"who-is-your-family","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/customwordpresssites.com\/mjb\/2011\/12\/30\/who-is-your-family\/","title":{"rendered":"Who is your family?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Guest blogger: Sister Sarah Hennessey<\/a><\/p>\n

Today we celebrate the feast of the Holy Family.\u00a0 We remember Jesus did not zoom into human existence in a space pod or appear on a mountaintop shining in gold. He came in family.\u00a0 Mary is more than her \u201cyes.\u201d\u00a0 She lived the daily joys and sorrows of family.\u00a0 Joseph is more than worker or protector.\u00a0 He lived the loves and hurts of family.<\/p>\n

When we put up our nativity scenes, while Joseph, Mary and Jesus are at the center they are not alone.\u00a0 Shepherds, sheep, cows, children, kings, and angels, complete the scene.\u00a0 This too is a moment of family.<\/p>\n

Our bus broke down on my 50 hour ride to Guadalajara.\u00a0 A large group of strangers, we were stranded by the roadside for hours.\u00a0 I remembered my guitar was in the luggage and suddenly our bus driver was serenading us with ranchero tunes and our bilingual group of strangers became united in song.\u00a0 A moment of family.<\/p>\n

One of my friends was getting on the bus to work when she realized she had lost her money.\u00a0 The bus driver kicked her off.\u00a0 A homeless man who was standing on the street saw her strife and gave her enough money to get to work.\u00a0 A moment of family.<\/p>\n

Last year when our town was hit by a flood, without even a plea for volunteers, people of all ages showed up to fill sand bags.\u00a0 I was so glad when the whole hockey team appeared.\u00a0 One man pulled up in his pickup to receive some bags and said, \u201cI don\u2019t know how to thank you.\u00a0 You are saving my house.\u201d\u00a0 A moment of family.<\/p>\n

Last month I went to a bowling alley for a benefit for a two year old in our parish who is fighting cancer.\u00a0 As I was buying my ticket I noticed the t-shirts being worn by the volunteers.\u00a0 All the women wore shirts that said \u201cMoms don\u2019t let moms fight cancer alone.\u201d\u00a0 All the men wore shirts that said, \u201cDads don\u2019t led dads fight cancer alone.\u201d\u00a0 A moment of family.<\/p>\n

So on this feast day of the Holy Family, let Mary and Joseph and Jesus be your guide and remember all the times in your life that have become a moment of family.<\/p>\n

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Prayer to the Holy Family<\/h3>\n

Jesus, Mary and Joseph, like you we are members of the Father’s family. We pray that our family love may reflect his love on its openness to all people. May we forgive even when not forgiven, and be patient with others’ weaknesses.<\/p>\n

Jesus, give us peace, unit and strength to meet the difficulties of daily living. May we use our family resources to improve the quality of life for ourselves and all people. Let us show joy in serving, for whatever we do for others, we do for you.<\/p>\n

Mary, inspire us, that our love may be strong but not possessive. Let our willingness to give depend on the needs of others rather than on the cost of giving.<\/p>\n

Joseph, help us to be attentive to the Father’s will. Let us be ready, as you were, to act whenever he calls us.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Guest blogger: Sister Sarah Hennessey Today we celebrate the feast of the Holy Family.\u00a0 We remember Jesus did not zoom into human existence in a space pod or appear on a mountaintop shining in gold. He came in family.\u00a0 Mary is more than her \u201cyes.\u201d\u00a0 She lived the daily joys and sorrows of family.\u00a0 Joseph...","protected":false},"author":7668253,"featured_media":25446,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","episode_type":"audio","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[115341],"tags":[225290,3890507,100228,549813,7600417,220],"series":[698756626],"class_list":["post-2051","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-equity-and-justice-equity-and-justice","tag-family-moments","tag-feast-of-the-holy-family","tag-goodwill","tag-holy-family","tag-loving-presence","tag-neighbors","series-messy-jesus-business"],"acf":[],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/customwordpresssites.com\/mjb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/a-beautifully-crafted-statue-depicting-mary-holding-child-jesus-showcasing-religious-art-and-devotion.-51524-scaled.jpg","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/customwordpresssites.com\/mjb\/wp-content\/plugins\/seriously-simple-podcasting\/assets\/images\/no-album-art.png","download_link":"","player_link":"","audio_player":false,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"dark","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"stitcher":{"key":"stitcher","url":"","label":"Stitcher","class":"stitcher","icon":"stitcher.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/customwordpresssites.com\/mjb\/feed\/podcast\/messy-jesus-business","embedCode":"

Who is your family?<\/a><\/blockquote>