"all human beings are called to the heights of holiness"

In Jesus, God unites himself to an entire human nature. He fully enters into human experience, with all its peaks and valleys. And a part of that human experience, with more than its share of peaks and valleys, is family.

Jesus spent over 90% of his years in the obscure nitty-gritty of family life. Though only a few chapters are devoted to this lengthy period, what they reveal is significant....

All things created by God are good, with human beings and human life very good according to Genesis chapter 1. Yet in assuming a human body, the Divine Word elevated its dignity, sanctifying it, and ennobling it.... The family, up til now naturally good, becomes an instrument of sanctification and growth in holiness.

As a teen, I thought a serious pursuit of holiness required opting out of marriage to enter a monastery. Holiness was about lots of quiet prayer and apostolic work. Noisy family life was a distraction to all this....

All human beings are called to the heights of holiness; ... all states in life, including student, teenager, and parent, offer abundant opportunities to grow in faith, hope, and love; ... the nitty gritty of family life, if approached right, can be a road to profound personal transformation and communion with God.

Think about it. The creator of the universe spent most of his human life as a craftsman, working with dad in the family business and ultimately taking it over. Mary, the holiest of all creatures, spent most of her time changing diapers, cooking, and cleaning. The secret to holiness is not to do extraordinary things, but to do ordinary things with extraordinary love and gratitude (Col 3:15-17)....

Family, in God’s plan, is a community where everyone has growing to do. Maybe that’s why Col 3 talks so much about forgiveness and forebearance!

The bottom line is this–we don’t become holy despite the hustle-bustle of family life, but in and through it.

excerpted from http://www.crossroadsinitiative.com/library_article/318/Feast_of_the_Holy_Family.html