GOSPEL

The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom.
Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke 2:36-40

There was a prophetess, Anna,
the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher.
She was advanced in years,
having lived seven years with her husband after her marriage,
and then as a widow until she was eighty-four.
She never left the temple,
but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer.
And coming forward at that very time,
she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child
to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem.

When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions
of the law of the Lord,
they returned to Galilee,
to their own town of Nazareth.
The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom;
and the favor of God was upon him.

This is the Word of the Lord.

Masterpiece.

God wanted to be a part of a family, and by doing so, besides dignifying it, He teaches us that this is the means to enter human life, to grow and strengthen as people. In the family, there is an authority of the parents that seeks to free their children from the slavery of sin, an obedience of the children that fulfills them and builds them up, an equality of differences in which, being all of equal dignity, we live with our great differences, a communion in which reciprocal love is lived like nowhere else, a love that unites us and makes the family possible despite our imperfections, and the Peace of Christ that redeems our relationships time and time again. This is the wealth of the family.
What a great miracle of God the family is, what beauty of creation, capable of reflecting the Family that is God.

Applied to married life:

Husband: My wife is key in taking care of the small details. She has been crucial for the growth in faith of our family. She is the one who always seeks to understand the other, who shows close affection towards our children. She is the delicacy, the tenderness of the family.
Wife: My husband is the head of the family. He is like the pillar to which all the rest of us cling. He provides strength, security, and when he says yes, it is a firm yes. He greatly helps in the steadfastness of our children, teaches them to mature in life, and loves them from that apparent distance of someone who, above all sentimentality, wants their well-being.
Both parents: Our children are a gift from God. Bringing them forward in life costs us our very lives, but that is precisely what fills us: Giving our lives to see them grow healthy (especially spiritually). It is an honor that God places these children of His under our authority; they will be our siblings in Christ for all eternity, if He wills it.
Children: Our parents are a demonstration of God’s abundance. Seeing how our parents have devoted themselves to us, we understand a little more how much God loves us. We have a debt to them that we can never repay. So many sleepless nights, so many worries, so many hours spent teaching us, educating us… The honor of having witnessed firsthand a testimony of love, seeing them love each other, strive, ask for forgiveness…

Father,

Thank you for the family you have given us. Thank you because love and family communion have been and are essential for all. Thank you because in it, we have known you and learned to pray. Thank you because it is clear that the family is your masterpiece born from your creative hand. Praise be to you, Lord.