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In Praise of the Little Home in Nazareth - Family Reflection Video

In Praise of the Little Home in Nazareth - Family Reflection Video

Celebrating family life  |  Holy lives of inspiration

Today's gospel challenges us to go beyond culture wars and politics, to go beyond using the tools of violence and revenge to much more powerful weapons of holiness, silence, and prayer. It challenges us to rise to a much higher level: to recognize that there is a battle being waged about the very nature, dignity and purpose of marriage, an institution from God meant to bring people to God; an institution that God entrusted to us as the highway to salvation, that Saint Paul likens to the marriage between Christ and His Church. 

Think about this. The Man-God, Jesus of Nazareth, chose to spend 30 years in the little home of Nazareth and at most three years of public ministry. In his recent book, Couples, Awaken Your Love, Cardinal Robert Sarah highlights the truth that the home is where Our Lord initiates His Kingdom and where it grows. Cardinal Sarah reminds us that the “family received the dignity of Our Lord’s presence. He went down with them and came to Nazareth and was obedient to them.” Father Paul Scalia, in reviewing Sarah’s book, says, “That one line has bestowed upon marriage and family a surpassing dignity. Certainly, there are many earthly benefits from strong marriages and healthy families. But that the eternal Son of God, came into the world and spent most of His earthly life ‘subject’ to Joseph and Mary, conveys more about the importance of marriage and family than anything else can.” 

 

In his 1994 Letter to Families, Saint John Paul II said, “The family is placed at the center of the great struggle between good and evil, between life and death, between love and all that is opposed to love. To the family is entrusted the task of striving, first and foremost, to unleash the forces of good."

 

According to Cardinal Sarah, couples derive their strength from personal holiness, silence, and prayer. With these, couples can overcome the forces of evil and grow the kingdom of God in their own homes, families, and hearts. “The Home is where Our Lord Himself began and where His Kingdom grows. He reminds us that the Kingdom of God’s power lies in the domestic church. The great spiritual battles are won in the little battles that couples and families fight so that they can be places of prayer, forgiveness, communion, and love.” 

Holy Family of Nazareth, pray for us! 


  • Father Willy's inspirational homily was recorded live this morning during Mass at the Father Peyton Center. Please view the video on our Facebook page. (You don't need a Facebook account to view.) 

  • To view Rosary prayer and Mass streaming live, please visit our Facebook page at 11:30 am EDT, Monday – Friday. Please invite your loved ones to join us too! (You don't need a Facebook account to view.)

About Father Willy Raymond, C.S.C.

Father Wilfred J. Raymond, C.S.C. (Father Willy), a native of Old Town, Maine, is the eighth of 12 children. He joined the Congregation of Holy Cross in 1964 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1971. He earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Stonehill College in 1967 and a master’s in Theology from the University of Notre Dame in 1971. He served in ministry at Stonehill College (1979-1992), Holy Cross leadership (1994-2000), National Director of Family Theater Productions, Hollywood (2000-2014), and President of Holy Cross Family Ministries (2014-2022). In addition to English, he is conversant in French and Spanish. He remains a diehard fan of the Boston Red Sox, even though he has served as Chaplain for the Los Angeles Dodgers.