A Catholic Clergy Perspective: THE HOLY FAMILY OF JESUS, MARY AND JOSEPH (A): ONE, HOLY, CATHOLIC AND APOSTOLIC FAMILY by Deacon Jim Merle

Friday, December 26, 2025

THE HOLY FAMILY OF JESUS, MARY AND JOSEPH (A): ONE, HOLY, CATHOLIC AND APOSTOLIC FAMILY by Deacon Jim Merle

FAMILY is a word we use to establish our roots and foundation in life. It connects us to various stages of our past, present and future. It shapes us in a multitude of ways for better or worse depending on how we incorporate it into our life goals and objectives. And in respect to the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph today, it can help us in our journey to everlasting life.

I am in Stage three of my family life now; semi-retired and spoiling grand and great grandchildren; or as some people say, “Living the good life,” except for the aches and pains of getting older.

Stage one was my starter family when as a child I lived with my parents, attended elementary and high schools, started college and worked a full-time job since 18. Stage two began with my marriage to Candi at 23, as a father to four children and maintaining all that comes with rearing a family, including establishing my career. Stage three co-exists with Stage two.

But in all three stages, I learned about who I am as a human trying to cope with the mantra for success the world dictates: Wealth, Power and Fame; in comparison to what God asks of me spiritually by my Baptism: To Love, Honor and Obey.

In the Book of Sirach we hear about how we need to honor and respect one another to develop right relationships between husband and wife, parents and children, the young and the old and the rich and the poor so it ultimately leads to better reverence of God. In other words, right relationships restore what has been broken in the past, strengthens bonds in the present moment and prepares for the action of God in the future. The same could be said for the “holy family” that is the Church. The more we labor to care for one another and extend compassion, the greater force will our communal prayer have in praising God our Father.

Saint Paul in his letter to the Colossians takes it a step farther by reminding them and us that having been Baptized in Christ introduces us to a new life to live so that all former ways of living must be put aside because they cannot coexist with Christian attitudes of holiness. Unfortunately, he uses verbiage which is unacceptable by today’s standards of how we look at equality and in doing so, we often reject his message of belief that peace and harmony must reign in the domestic church (the family) as well as in the worshipping assembly.

Finally, in St. Matthew’s Gospel, we begin to understand how we need to practice our faith and conduct our life as did the Holy Family by selfless acts of being present to one another and to all they encountered. Joseph practices righteousness by putting the care of his family above his own well-being, as he trusts God intervention through the message of an angel. He is a beloved foster father who listens carefully to the will of God, forsaking his homeland and his work. Family means we take care of each other not because we are told or need to; but because we want to offer care, comfort and healing when we can.

On this, the feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, let us dedicate ourselves to follow God’s guidance by committing to our involvement to build the Family of Faith at St. John Paul II Pope Polish Center into one of love, trust and acceptance. It is God’s call to us by our Baptism and a beacon for us to follow as true disciples.

Reading 1:     Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14
Psalm:            128:1-5
Reading 2:     Colossians 3:12-21
Gospel:          Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23

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Bishop Kevin W. Vann, JCD, DD, D MIN

He was ordained on May 30, 1981, and was assigned to graduate studies in canon law at the Angelicum in Rome, with residence at the graduate house of the North American College, the Casa Santa Maria dell’ Umilta. Pope Leo XIV, when a priest, also attended these classes at the same time. Upon returning to the Diocese of Springfield, Illinois, Father Vann participated in the work of the Diocesan Tribunal and the Tribunal of Second Instance in Chicago. He served as pastor of parishes ranging in size from 35 to 1,300 families, two which had large schools. He taught canon law at Kenrick Seminary. Before he was named bishop, he was pastor of Blessed Sacrament Parish in Springfield, Vicar for Priests and the Diocesan contact for Hispanic Ministry. Bishop Vann was ordained and installed as the third bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Forth Worth, Texas, on July 13, 2005, at Texas Christian University’s Daniel-Meyer Coliseum. In Texas, he collaborated closely with other bishops through the Texas Catholic Conference and Region X, which includes dioceses of States of Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas. He is the former Texas Bishops’ Liaison to the Texas Mission Council and Texas Catholic hospitals. And, through the U.S. Conference of Bishops, Bishop Vann was a leader in the Texas Conference of Bishops, providing leadership for various initiatives at the national level, including service on ad hoc committee which assisted the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) to guide the incorporation of Anglican groups into the Catholic Church of the United States. On September 21, 2012, Pope Benedict XVI announced Bishop Vann’s appointment as the fourth bishop of Orange, the 11th largest diocese in the country and the second-largest west of the Mississippi with 1.3 million multicultural Catholics. He continues to lead the historic effort to transform the former Crystal Cathedral from a world-renowned center of Protestant worship into the West Coast’s most visible center of Catholicism.

Father Glenn Baaten

A priest of the ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter, a community with the Catholic Church made up of former Anglicans and Episcopalians. He Currently serves as Parish Administrator of St. John Henry Newman Catholic Church in Irvine and as Chaplain of Santiago Retreat Center in Silverado. His ministry within the Diocese of Orange, California, is a collaborative appointment by Bishop Steven Lopes and Bishop Kevin Vann. Fr. Glenn was ordained to the Catholic priesthood on June 24, 2016, the Feast of St. John the Baptist. His journey to the Catholic Church followed years of faithful ministry in Protestant communities. He was ordained a Presbyterian pastor in 1998 and served a PCUSA parish in Cincinnati, Ohio. After returning to California in 2010, he discerned a call to Anglican ministry and was ordained in the Church of England tradition in 2013. He relinquished his Anglican holy orders and, after catechesis, was received into the Church on Christmas eve of that year. Fr. Glenn has been married to Cathy for 42 years. They are the blessed parents of two adult children and grandparents of three. His ministry is marked by a strong commitment to evangelization, Christian unity and sacred beauty of the liturgy. As a follower of Christ these many past decades – most especially as a priest – Fr. Glenn is committed to sharing the grace and love of Jesus to all and living the depth of that faith in the fulness of the Catholic Church.

Deacon Jim Merle

Deacon Jim was ordained 20 years ago on April 30, 2005, and lives in Southern California where he has served the Catholic Church on parish, diocesan and national levels. He periodically writes Pastoral Letters for church bulletins, as well as articles for the Diaconate community’s “Bowl & Towel” and the diocesan newspaper in addition to “A Catholic Deacon’s Perspective,” recently renamed “A Catholic Clergy’s Perspective” with the addition of Bishop Kevin W. Vann and Fr. Glenn Baaten as periodic writers. On the parish level he has served at three parishes involved in helping with Sacramental training, Faith Formation and annulments. His diocesan involvements include a six-year term on the Diaconate Personnel Board, a founding committee member of the God’s Servants Committee (an educational component of quarterly meetings for active deacons), as a Master of Ceremonies at Confirmations, ordinations, installations and other ceremonies, an Advanced Master Catechist Certification to teach theological and certification classes and recently was selected to head up a Deanery Council of Deacons and their wives to support their ordination faculties and activities in each of the seven deaneries. On a local and national level, he coordinated the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) diocesan board for 14 years. CCHD is the domestic social justice arm of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) which distribute parishioner’s donations for non-profit organizations to empower the impoverished, marginalized and disenfranchised who have social justice needs. In his early career he was a writer/reporter for a well-known Chicago newspaper, as well as owning a public relations/advertising firm. He is now semi-retired and works parttime in two professional practices he owns. On a personal note, he is married 57 years, helped rear four children with his wife, a grandfather to 10 grandchildren and a great grandfather to six great grandchildren.

BLOG INTRODUCTION

Scripture is like the eyes into God’s soul. Whether from the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) or the New Testament, we can garner, as best we can, who God is (what He feels and how He thinks in human terms). The original and current purpose of this blog, which began in 2019, is to take a three-year cycle of A, B and C Gospels and readings from each Sunday and provide a perspective as it pertains to our current lives as seen through the eyes of a Catholic clergy who serve Catholics in words and deeds per their ordination. Since completing the three-year cycles, it has been expanded to investigate the areas of Commentaries, Scripture and Theology. It is because of that the blog will now have writings from Bishop Kevin Vann, Ordinary of the Diocese of Orange, California, Father Glenn Baaten, a former Anglican priest, ordained into the Roman Catholic Church as a priest, and Deacon Jim Merle, who recently celebrated his 20th year ordination and started this blog. Bishop Vann and Father Glenn will author articles on a periodic basis based upon the time they have to devote to the blog. Deacon Jim will continue to offer weekly articles, still based on the three-year cycle along with various current events that challenge us to balance our humanity with our spiritual lives. The hope is that you, our subscribers, will see this as something of value to help you grow closer to the Lord.