Feast of the Holy Family
Christianity preaches traditional human values, one of which is family, love and respect between spouses for each other, caring for and raising children
The model of a family for believers is the Holy Family, in which the Savior appeared more than 2 thousand years ago The Virgin Mary with the baby Jesus Christ in her arms and her husband Joseph the Betrothed are the central characters of many icons, paintings and sculptural compositions The Sagrada Família temple in Barcelona, a church in Kaliningrad, cathedrals and churches in other cities were built in their honor The Catholic Feast of the Holy Family is dedicated to the Virgin Mary, Joseph and Jesus, which is celebrated every year on the last Sunday of December following the Nativity of Christ (if the celebration of Christmas falls on a Sunday, the Holy Family is honored on December 30)
Services are held during Feast of the Holy Family The main theme of the masses is the family and its role in the life of every person The priests remind parishioners of the importance of father and mother in raising children, their care and love for each child Mary and Joseph are an example of sacrifice, tolerance, mutual understanding and wisdom for believers
On their way, the father and mother of Christ had to face many difficulties, but they survived them and emerged from all life’s ups and downs with dignity Despite not being related by blood, Joseph still took charge of Jesus and loved him with all his heart Mary was not afraid of society’s condemnation and agreed to become the mother of God’s Son through the immaculate conception Therefore, at Catholic masses held in honor of the Feast of the Holy Family, parishioners are told not only about the importance of family, but also about humility, sacrificing one’s own interests for the sake of loved ones and the entire human race
In a strict sense, the Holy Family is, in the classical sense, Mary, Joseph and Jesus But on frescoes and icons you can often find righteous Anna, the mother of the Mother of God, their relative Elizabeth with her son John the Baptist and her husband, the priest Zacharias Together they represent an example of serving moral values, of how to behave so that all family members gain full human dignity and have the opportunity to achieve holiness
By tradition, Catholics celebrate the liturgical holiday, which was introduced in 1921 by Pope Benedict, in a narrow family circle Believers read the Holy Scriptures and make common prayers On this day, they ask God for agreement and mutual understanding between representatives of different worships Full of virtues, the Holy Family radiates love and is a symbol of harmony and peace The relationship between Mary, Joseph and Jesus is a model for Christians to follow Therefore, the elevated mood and reverent attitude towards the Holy Family is shared with Catholics by Orthodox believers and representatives of Protestant denominations