ADOPTING JESUS

December 28, 2025 – Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph

Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/122825.cfm)

Christmas reminds us that God comes into our lives as a Child – not as fully grown man or as superman or as god, but as a poor child on a manger. And for a child to live and grow, God’s son Jesus needs a human parent and family like any other child. Jesus Christ, God’s son has to be taken, accepted, adopted and above all chosen by human parents and family. He grew up in life then …in, with, through his family who adopted and chosen Him to be their own. And within a  human family Jesus was born, loved, lived and have grown as a Person in the home – Not inside a monastery, convent or church.

Once I received a Christmas card that say: “A child is born in our midst”. Well, that’s okay because that is the core message of Christmas. But what made me suspect then was that card was sent from the sisters’ convent. Imagine the sisters’ sending me a message that a child is born in their midst”. Me batang ipinanganak sa kanila. Hmmm???

Yes, God’s son has a home, a family, a foster parents and family who chose Him to be their own. And He is now our own as well. Jesus is part of our family. He is our adopted and chosen brother, kapatid, igsoon, (우리 형이에요).

Today we honor the Holy Family, the very first family who welcomes and willingly accepts the Emmanuel “the God with us” into our lives. Mary and Joseph are the very first parents who adopted and chosen the child of God Jesus into their home to be their very own as member of their family.

Our gospel today gives us a description on how Mary and Joseph do their best to parent the child Jesus into their own lives as they observe their own local cultural and religious traditions, while conscious of the mysterious unique experience of adopting and choosing God’s blessing into their lives. Yes, Jesus with Mary & Joseph their lives become a normal human family.

And like any normal human family, the Holy Family of Jesus has faced a lot of challenges in life. At the early stage of family life, because of persecutions, the Holy Family had be exiled to, and lived life as a migrant family in Egypt, and then coming back they have to settle in Nazareth, where it was said “nothing comes out good from Nazareth”.

Yes, for Joseph & Mary, adopting Jesus has been & will always be life-changing experience. In adopting Jesus into our lives, surely our life then will also never be the same for us again…, but for the better than worse. And because & just as Mary & Joseph adopted Jesus, we who also welcome & accept Jesus in our homelife become members of the Holy Family- kapamilya, kamag-anak at kapatid ni Hesus.

Thus, honoring the Holy Family on Christmas season posts the on-going ever-present life-changing challenge for us, like Mary and Joseph, to adopt and parent  anew Jesus, God’s child by choice into our lives now and always. Since God’s gift of grace comes to us as a Child – not as fully grown man or as superman or as god, but as a poor child on a manger, needing a home & family – not a monastery, convent or church, somebody has to take care of the Child Jesus & be responsible for the child to grow & mature into our very lives, so that His grace & blessing be revealed, given & share to all.

Taking care & responsibility for Jesus by willingly accepting, adopting & choosing Him into our lives to be our own – part of our own lives as family and community, we come to know also that we are and becoming God’s adopted and chosen children and people, part of His Holy Family. Sa ating pag-angkin kay Hesus na ating kapamilya, tayo ay naging at maging ka-anak/kapamilya rin ng Dios at kamag-anak ng anak ng Dios.

As we adopt Jesus as our chosen brother, as our family member, we are and also become God’s children and members of Jesus family, part of the God’s Holy Family. With the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary & Joseph, may this Christmas season, and the coming New Year remind us always that even in times of darkness, crisis, challenges & disasters, God comes into our lives always & comes to us as a Child, who can bring us hope, promise & better life, as we willingly choose to adopt, take care & parent Jesus into our very homes now as part of our human & holy family.

Have a Blessed Christmas & a Grace-filled new Year to us all. Amen.