The School of Holiness at Nazareth

Today’s Collect sets both the tone and the purpose of this feast. In a few carefully chosen words, the Church teaches us that family life itself has been sanctified—made holy— by the obedience of the Son of God within the household of Nazareth.

Our Lord Jesus Christ consecrated family life by His obedience to Mary and Joseph. We rightly proclaim that Christ was obedient to the Father,
but we must not overlook the astonishing truth that the eternal Son of God was also obedient to His human parents. Pause for a moment and consider what this means: God made Himself obedient to His own creatures. He did this not out of necessity, but to give us an example to follow. In the plan of God, obedience is not humiliation—it is the very road to holiness.

By His obedience, Jesus teaches us humility. This obedience was not momentary or symbolic; it was constant and enduring. From Nazareth to Calvary, He submits His will in love. In the Garden of Olives, He cried out: “Not My will, but Your will be done.” And, He teaches us the same in the prayer He Himself gave us: “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done.”

This obedience is not merely an action—it is a virtue, rooted in humility. Humility lowers the self so that God may be exalted. As Saint Paul reminds us: “He humbled Himself, becoming obedient unto death.” When we practice humility, something within us must die. Pride is weakened. Self-will is surrendered. And in that dying, grace begins to live more fully within us.

The Collect tells us that Christ “consecrated family life with ineffable virtues.” That is the true ideal of the family—not perfection, but holiness.   The family becomes a garden where God plants virtue, nurtures it through sacrifice, and brings forth fruit in due season.

When Jesus is truly at the center of family life, the virtues—and all the workings of the Holy Ghost—begin to flourish. As Fr. Patrick Peyton so often preached, “The family that prays together stays together.” Prayer should mark the ordinary rhythm of the home: before meals, in the morning, and at night before rest. Families should be encouraged to foster the daily Rosary together, and, when possible, a family Holy Hour before the Most Blessed Sacrament. It is also fitting that our homes visibly reflect this faith, with crucifixes and images of Our Lord, Our Lady, and the saints, reminding us daily of whom we belong to and whom we serve.

Let us follow the example of our Lord, who humbled Himself in obedience to Mary and Joseph, so that we too may grow in virtue and holiness, and allow our families to become places where God is truly at home.