As we travel through our neighborhoods, it’s likely we will be reminded of the holiday or season of the month, according to which flags are flying on the homes we pass, or in many cases, the lights and decorations which adorn their properties – St. Patrick’s Day, Fourth of July, Halloween, Valentine’s Day, Thanksgiving, and, of course, Christmas.

What may not be well known, even for Catholics, is that each month of the year is also a time for the faithful to celebrate and honor something special in the Church. Every month has an intention.

For the month of February, Catholics honor the Holy Family, a frequent teaching of Pope Francis: “Today our gaze on the Holy Family lets us also be drawn into the simplicity of the life they led in Nazareth. It is an example that does our families great good, helping them increasingly to become communities of love and reconciliation, in which tenderness, mutual help, and mutual forgiveness is experienced.

“Let us remember the three key words for living in peace and joy in the family: “may I,” “thank you” and “sorry” … I would also like to encourage families to become aware of the importance they have in the Church and in society. The proclamation of the Gospel, in fact, first passes through the family to reach the various spheres of daily life.”

Children are familiar with experiences of love and forgiveness, caring and helpfulness within their own families. They are also familiar with anxiety, anger, disappointment and fear. What they know about the Holy Family may not be enough for them to think of Mary, Joseph and Jesus in terms of a real family, like theirs, who experience the ups and downs of family life.

The fact that the month of the Holy Family comes so soon after Christmas means teachers can make use of the image of the Nativity which is fresh in the mind of students. If they haven’t seen one at home, they have likely seen one in the classroom. This may be the only scene they’ve ever envisioned of the Holy Family, but that holy night was just the beginning of their family life together.

Let students imagine the day-to-day life of the Holy Family, from Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem until his death and Resurrection. Encourage students to imagine the life of the Holy Family as they live their own lives as a family, and to tell, write, or draw their ideas of how the Holy Family might have set up a home in Nazareth, the kind of chores Jesus had to do, how he helped Joseph in the family carpentry business, how he studied and learned his faith. What was Jesus like, as a young person like them? Did Jesus get in trouble if he threw his prayer shawl on floor instead of hanging it up or was late to dinner?

Include visual displays, especially in the prayer corner. An image, including prayer cards, or a statue of the Holy Family, serves as a daily reminder for students that the month is dedicated to the Holy Family. If there is a box or jar for prayer intentions, direct students to address their intentions during the month to the Holy Family. Encourage them to write prayer intentions for family members.

Read Scripture, especially Luke 2:41-52, the story about Jesus remaining behind in Jerusalem after the family travels there to go to the temple. It’s a great opportunity to discuss how every family, even the Holy Family, experience difficult situations, and to discuss how the Holy Family handled this one.

Pray. As observant Jews, Mary, Joseph and Jesus would have followed Jewish law and offered formal prayers in their home several times a day, in addition to praying always in their hearts. One of the daily prayers, said morning and evening, would have been the Shema in the Book of Deuteronomy. Chapter 6, verses 4-9 (printed below) are good for students to read, too, to gain a better understanding of what was important to the Holy Family. The first line is a profession of faith: “Hear O’ Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One.”

In addition, you might add a prayer specifically for the family and pray it as a class at least once a week during the month, perhaps on Friday before the students go home for the weekend, or more often if time allows. The prayer below, from the Missionaries of the Holy Family, may be used.

For teachers – For those interested in including Catholic themes of the month into their religion classes, or their classrooms, here’s the list for the rest of the year: March, St. Joseph; April, Holy Eucharist and Holy Spirit; May, Virgin Mary; June, Sacred Heart of Jesus; July, Precious Blood of Jesus; August, Immaculate Heart of Mary; September, Seven Sorrows of Mary and the Holy Cross; October, Rosary; November, Poor Souls in Purgatory; December, Advent or the Coming of Christ.

The Holy Family Prayer
Jesus, Son of God and Son of Mary, bless our family. Graciously inspire in us the unity, peace, and mutual love that you found in your own family in the little town of Nazareth. Mary, Mother of Jesus and Our Mother, nourish our family with your faith and your love. Keep us close to your Son, Jesus, in all our sorrows and joys. Joseph, Foster-father to Jesus, guardian and spouse of Mary, keep our family safe from harm. Help us in all times of discouragement or anxiety. Holy Family of Nazareth, make our family one with you. Help us to be instruments of peace. Grant that love, strengthened by grace, may prove mightier than all the weaknesses and trials through which our families sometimes pass. May we always have God at the center of our hearts and homes until we are all one family, happy and at peace in our true home with you. Amen. From the Missionaries of the Holy Family

The Shema
Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God; the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart and with all your soul, and with all your means. And these words, which I command you this day, shall be upon your heart. And you shall teach them to your sons and speak of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk on the way, and when you lie down and when you rise up. And you shall bind them for a sign upon your hand, and they shall be for ornaments between your eyes. And you shall inscribe them upon the doorposts of your house and upon your gates (Deut. 6:4-9).

About the Author
Mary Clifford Morrell, mother of six and grandmother to ten, is a Catholic journalist, editor, and author who has served the Dioceses of Metuchen and Trenton, New Jersey; Burlington, Vermont, and RENEW International in the areas of religious education and communication.