Kitchen Table Holiness

The history of the Incarnation open with these words: “Do not be afraid, Mary.” And the angel of the Lord says to Joseph: “Do not be afraid, Joseph, son of David”. And again to the shepherds the angel repeats: “Do not be afraid: Do not be afraid.” St. John Paul II, newly elected as Pope, proclaimed perhaps the most famous and lasting words of his pontificate: “Be not afraid.” Well, I have a confession to make: I’m afraid. I think it’s a natural reaction, emotion, and feeling to experience. It takes a leap of faith to let go and not be afraid.

In today’s Gospel (Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23) we read about the Holy family, where the angel appears to Joseph and states “Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay, there until I tell you.” Imagine telling your wife we have to flee because an angel told me in a dream. But wait, it gets better. Again, St. Joseph is called “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child’s life are dead.” Remember King Herod is slaughtering the innocent children to save his throne. I know if this was me, I would be afraid.  The Holy family puts its trust in God from above. Both Mary and Joseph receive their guidance from heavenly messengers.

So are we waiting for the Angels to appear to us in a dream? Do we place our trust in God without angels appearing? Raising a family must have been real difficult back in the time of Jesus. Let’s face it, it’s tough raising a family today. The pressure of providing for a family, work, bills and time are extremely challenging.  I once asked my father, “How did you do it? He simply responded back…Prayer.

God calls all of us to be Holy. We are all called to be Holy, and is based on Matthew (5:48)” Be you therefore perfect, as also your heavenly Father is perfect.”  It’s the Ordinary Holiness in the days of our lives that we can find meaning in our vocation. First, we must Love our family. Trust me, this is a hard commandment to “Love one another.” Remember, I’m Irish, we love to fight and hate to lose. Love is not a feeling; Love is hard work. The next step is kitchen table holiness. Striving for holiness does not start in the Church, it starts in the home.  What do I mean by “Kitchen table holiness?” It’s the hard decisions, sacrifices, and love that we offer to our family. The little sacrifices that we offer up to God. The crooked path to holiness. When a baby cries in the middle of the night because he/she has a dirty diaper, it’s Love that gets you out the bed to holiness. When the phone rings, and there’s an emergency, and you drop everything to help. You see the homeless beggar on the street. Instead of walking across the street to avoid them, you offer to buy a sandwich. That’s the kitchen table holiness that God calls us, our family, our friends, and co-workers to be.

The Lord longs to accompany us in our ordinariness over, and over, though we may not always realize it. We have faith, but there is so much, we just do not understand. It’s got to be that way. We believe, but we never understand all of it. How could we? God is the great Mystery. But rest assured it is our love and desire that give us a clear vision. And if we want to be with the Lord, he wants it more than we do.

Holy Family, Pray for Us.

Bernard of Clairvaux