Are You My Family?

The Solemnity of the Holy Family

December 28, 2025

Are You My Family?

I am the youngest of six kids with 17 years between me and my oldest sibling. That meant that my older siblings had a head start in getting married and starting their family. Also, that meant that I would have nieces and nephews that were relatively close to me in age. It started early with five nieces. Two from one sister and three from my other sister. As children, I became quite close to these nieces and we would often play together. Sometimes I felt a sense of being the more mature one in the group and would watch them and take care of them even though I was only four years older than my oldest niece. I say all of that setup to simply talk about a book that I often read to these girls. The book was called “Are You My Mother?” At 62 years of age and with much living done between those years and now, I still remember that book pretty vividly. It was about a baby bird that had fallen out of it’s nest. It began a long journey going from place to place and coming upon different characters and things looking for it’s mother. It would come across some inanimate, but for the sake of the book animated, thing and ask if it was it’s mother. The bird encountered many different incarnations of beings with none of them being it’s actual mother. To bring closure to the story, the bird does in the end make it back to the nest and to it’s mother.

In today’s scripture reading of Paul’s letter to the Colossians he speaks of how Fathers and mothers and children should act with each other. Colossians 3:18-21 says (paraphrased) “Wives be subordinate to your husbands..., Husbands love your wives..., Children obey your parents..., and Fathers (really parents) do not provoke your children.” These words are duplicated elsewhere in the New testament and they are wise words and good to live by. There is, of course, much debate when taken at face value of the words on the page. But let’s not get into that right now. Let’s simply agree that by following the steps that Paul gives us which were really given to him by Christ the family unit would be strong and happy and at peace. Before Paul gets to these instructions for the christian family unit he starts in verse 12 talking about the christian family of brothers and sisters as a whole. He says because we are God’s people we should have compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. We should forgive one another just as God has forgiven us time and time again. We should live with our fellow Christians with love and unity.

I think we can all agree that husbands should love their wives. Also, wives who love their husbands would want to do for them. Children obeying and respecting their parents is part of the law that God gave to Moses. All of us collectively doing these kinds of behavior would make the home a happy and peaceful place. I hope that all of your homes paint a picture like this. But let’s take it a bit further shall we? I ask the question that the bird walked around town and asked of everyone he encountered. Are you my mother? And for the sake of this discussion are you my father? Brother? Sister? Or even comrade, cohort or dear friend? I challenge you to ask each and every day of the people you come across in your life, are you my family? Jesus teaches that one of the greatest commandments is to “Love our neighbor as ourselves.” And he tells us what we do for the “least” of our neighbors we do as unto him. So let’s consider who is included in God’s extended family.

The holiday season is the perfect time to consider the people that are in our immediate family. We should open our home and our arms to show them compassion and love. Be forgiving as God has always welcomed us with forgiveness. Show gentleness and maybe don’t bring up that sensitive topic at the holiday dinner table. Have gentleness and kindness towards all of your inner circle of loved ones. But don’t stop there. Carry God’s love to the least of all his people. Bear with one another forgiving as God has forgiven you. Be in communion with all God’s people as one big, happy family. The world and your world will be a better place for it.