Home Is We the Family Is

The idea, dream, and reality of family is so strong and durable that we use it to describe all that is best about human gatherings. We speak of the family of nations, of our church and parish families. The greatest compliment we can pay a friend or gracious host is to say that we feel at home with them, we feel part of the family.

Families are the first crucibles in which love is tested and tempered. Jesus himself was one of three people who lived in the shadow of each other. This family, like our own, did not always “get it right,” but they always tried to. These three “amateurs” were on holiday, and one of them got lost. Two were worried sick and took great measures to find the third, a boy after all, who was seeking the meaning of his calling. He found his vocation—to do his Father’s work—but he also returned home with his parents.