ONE OF MY FAVORITE MOVIES

DURING THE CHRISTMAS SEASON

IS ENTITLED,

THE LION IN WINTER.

IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN IT,

I STRONGLY RECOMMEND IT.

THERE IS A SCENE IN THE MOVIE

WHERE THE QUEEN

WHO HAS THREE SONS,

THEY’RE ALL VYING

FOR THE POWER TO BE

THE NEXT KING OF ENGLAND,

HAVE THIS ENORMOUS FAMILY FIGHT.

ENORMOUS.

AND AT THE END OF THIS

HORRENDOUS FIGHT,

THE QUEEN LOOKS RIGHT

INTO THE CAMERA,

CATHERINE HEPBURN,

AND SHE SAYS, “WHAT FAMILY

DOESN’T HAVE ITS UPS AND DOWNS?”

AND IT’S TRUE.

EVERY FAMILY

HAS ITS UPS AND DOWNS.

EVEN THE HOLY FAMILY.

WHEN I WAS IN SEVENTH GRADE,

IT WAS IN SEPTEMBER,

MY FATHER TRAGICALLY DIED.

IT WAS A SUDDEN DEATH.

AND AS WE APPROACHED

CHRISTMAS A COUPLE MONTHS LATER,

THE FAMILY TRADITION

WAS ALWAYS GOING AS A FAMILY,

PICKING OUT THE CHRISTMAS TREE.

MY DAD TOOK GREAT PRIDE

IN PICKING OUT THE PERFECT

CHRISTMAS TREE.

AND THEN HE’D EVEN BUY

EXTRA BRANCHES.

AND HE’D PUT UP

THE CHRISTMAS TREE,

AND IF THERE WERE ANY SPACES

THAT NEEDED TO BE FILLED IN,

HE’D TAKE A DRILL AND HE WOULD

DRILL A HOLE AND PUT

THE BRANCHES IN IT,

SO IT WOULD BE PERFECTLY SHAPED.

AND THEN WITH GREAT PATIENCE,

HE WOULD HANG ONE ICING, OR

ICICLE, I GUESS THEY CALLED

THEM, AT A TIME.

THAT YEAR, MY DAD, WHO

HAD PASSED FOR A COUPLE MONTHS,

MY MOTHER, WHO WAS JUST

WONDERFUL, SAID,

“LET’S HONOR THE TRADITION.”

SO WE ALL WENT TO

PICK OUT THE CHRISTMAS TREE.

WE CAME BACK, WE TRIED

TO PUT UP THE CHRISTMAS TREE,

AND REALIZED WE HAD BOUGHT

A TREE WITH A TERRIBLY

CROOKED TRUNK.

NO MATTER WHAT WE DID,

WE COULDN’T GET IT

TO STAND STRAIGHT.

MY MOTHER, WHOSE LITTLE

IRISH FIGHTING SPIRIT,

WENT AND SHE OPENED

THE FRONT DOOR OF OUR HOUSE,

PICKED UP THE TREE

AND THREW IT

RIGHT INTO THE FRONT LAWN.

IT’S THE LAST TIME WE

HAD A REAL LIVE CHRISTMAS TREE.

SHE WENT OUT AND

BOUGHT AN ARTIFICIAL ONE.

EVERY FAMILY HAS ITS

CHALLENGES, EVEN DURING

THE CHRISTMAS SEASON.

THE HOLY FAMILY

HAD ITS CHALLENGES, AS YOU KNOW.

HAVING TO REGISTER,

BEING BORN IN A STABLE,

BEING REFUGEES TO EGYPT,

ALL THE THINGS

THAT THEY SUFFERED.

BUT AS FAMILY,

THEY HUNG IN THERE.

THEY STUCK TOGETHER.

THEY CONTINUED ALWAYS

TO TRUST IN GOD AND TRUST

IN ONE ANOTHER.

ON THIS FEAST DAY

OF THE HOLY FAMILY, LET’S BE

GRATEFUL FOR OUR FAMILIES.

AND RECOGNIZE THAT NO FAMILY

IS PERFECT, EXCEPT

FOR THE HOLY FAMILY.

AND TO REMEMBER THAT GOD

IS WITH US IN EVERY MOMENT

OF OUR LIVES.

AND WE’LL GIVE OUR FAMILIES

THE STRENGTH, THE GRACE,

THE WISDOM, AND THE COURAGE

TO MOVE FORWARD IN LIFE.