February, a month associated with love, has a special significance in the Catholic Church, as it is dedicated to the Holy Family. This is a time to reflect on the family life of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, meditate on their virtues, and understand how they provide a model for Christian families.
This article will explore the reason February is dedicated to the Holy Family, significant feast days for the month, and a few saints associated with this devotion. We will look at ways to participate and learn more and close with Catholic prayers in honor of the Holy Family.
Why is February Dedicated to the Holy Family?
The Catholic Church has dedicated each month of the year to a particular devotion. While the feast day of the Holy Family is celebrated on the Sunday between Christmas and New Year’s, the month of February carries a unique resonance with the sacred bond and hidden life of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.
February was chosen by the Church for this devotion, for in this month, we celebrate the Feast of the Purification, also known as the Feast of the Presentation. This occurs 40 days after the birth of Jesus, when Mary and Joseph, according to Jewish law, presented Jesus in the temple to Saint Simeon.
The little family devoutly brought the offering required of the poor, two turtledoves. This illustrates that, although Our Lord was true royalty, and Our Lady and St. Joseph the purest and wisest humans on earth, they submitted to a life of poverty. They choose obedience to God and the Light of Truth as their treasure over any worldly fame, fortune, or comfort. As they heard Saint Simeon’s prayer and prophesy over the child Jesus, together they embraced the suffering that was to come as a result of man’s rejection of this One Who is Light and Truth (Luke 2:22-35).
On this day, Catholics also celebrate Candlemas, symbolizing the recognition of Christ as the Light of the world, even in His hidden life with Mary and Joseph.
Key Catholic Feast Days in February
February is a month rich in liturgical celebrations. It starts with the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, on February 2 as discussed above.
The Feast of Saint Blaise, celebrated on February 3, is when the Church traditionally blesses the throats of the faithful, invoking the protection of Saint Blaise against throat ailments. Many Catholic families anticipate this feast and present all their children for the blessing.
February 11th, the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes commemorates the apparitions of the Virgin Mary, the Mother of the Divine Child, to Saint Bernadette Soubirous, herself a child living a devout life of poverty in Lourdes, France, in 1858.
The Chair of Saint Peter is celebrated on February 22. This feast day honors the role of the Pope as the successor of Saint Peter and the visible head of the Church. As we turn our thoughts to the Holy Family on this day, we can consider how their home in Nazareth was the first glimpse of the holy unity that Christ would later ask the Father to grant to His Body, the Catholic Church.
Catholic Saints and the Holy Family
Numerous saints have held a deep devotion to the Holy Family, seeing it as a model of all the virtues lived out in ordinary life. Among them are Saint Peter Julian Eymard, Saint John Paul II, and Saint (Mother) Theresa of Calcutta.
Saint Peter Julian Eymard said, speaking of Saint Joseph, the head of the Holy Family,
“From the Eternal Father, [Joseph] received the commission to guard His adorable Son Whom He loves as Himself with an infinite love and to watch over Mary, the most beloved of all His creatures. [Saint Joseph] is head of the Holy Family, father of the trinity on earth which resembles so closely the Holy Trinity on high.”
Saint John Paul II emphasized the importance of the family as the domestic church and encouraged families to model themselves after the Holy Family.
In his encyclical, Familiaris Consortio, he expounds on the dangers and challenges against the family by the current culture. As a response he encourages the Catholic family with an invocation for the protection of the Holy Family of Nazareth, saying,
“Through God’s mysterious design, it was in that family that the Son of God spent long years of a hidden life. It is therefore the prototype and example for all Christian families.”
“[The Holy Family] underwent trials of poverty, persecution, and exile. It glorified God in an incomparably exalted and pure way. And it will not fail to help Christian families – indeed, all the families in the world – to be faithful to their day-to-day duties, to bear the cares and tribulations of life, to be open and generous to the needs of others, and to fulfill with joy the plan of God in their regard.”
Saint Teresa of Calcutta, valuing the mutual love and respect in the Holy Family and its power to impact the world, said, “If you want to change the world, go home and love your family.” She composed a prayer for families invoking the Holy Family’s intercession (see below).
8 Ways to Grow in Devotion to the Holy Family this February
The Fathers of the Faith have long referred to the Catholic home as the domestic church. As such, we are to cultivate a family life centered on Christ in imitation of the virtues of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Here are some ways to help you dedicate February to the Holy Family in your home.
- Pray the Rosary as a family, especially focusing on the Joyful Mysteries. Meditate on the devotion of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph in their daily prayers together, expressing adoration to God the Father throughout their days in Nazareth.
- Consecrate your family to the Holy Family. (see below)
- Strengthen your family’s devotion to the Eucharist – Christ, Who is the glory of the Holy Family – as a nourishment of family life by attending Mass together on days besides the Sunday obligation.
- Read, memorize, or act out Scripture stories highlighting the Holy Family. For example, The Birth of Jesus (Luke 2:1-20), The Flight into Egypt (Matthew 2:13-15), or The Finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2:41-52).
- Place an image or icon of the Holy Family in your house. To make it more personal, set a favorite picture of your own family beside it to remind you to pray to Jesus, Mary, and Joseph for the daily spiritual and physical needs of your family.
- Ask your priest to bless your home. After all, your home is a domestic church called to reflect the little home of Nazareth for your family.
- Practice the charity of the Holy Family by acts of forgiveness and patience toward your family members.
- Strive to live a life that reflects the virtues of the Holy Family. Seek to imitate their love, obedience, unity, and humility.
Further Reading on the Holy Family
Here are some resources for further study that provide valuable insights for understanding this devotion and why it is so appropriate for our times.
- Familiaris Consortio Encyclical by Saint John Paul II on the role of the Christian family in the modern world.
- Letter to Families by Saint John Paul II. The Holy Father’s defense of the family, offering hope and courage, tools and advice that will lead to Christ’s triumph in our domestic church.
- Saint Joseph – Head of the Family From the HouseTops, this booklet discusses Saint Joseph’s important role in Our Lord’s childhood and hidden life.
- Mary & Joseph of Nazareth by Rev. Federico Suarez is a set of two books on the Holy Family: Mary of Nazareth pays particular attention to the concept of vocation in Mary’s life, depicting her as the supreme example of holiness. Joseph of Nazareth is a series of reflections on the life of Saint Joseph in the light of faith and based on revelation.
Prayers Honoring the Holy Family
Here are several prayers dedicated to honoring the Holy Family in the Catholic tradition. These prayers express love and gratitude and seek the intercession of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.
Consecration to the Holy Family
O Jesus, our most loving Redeemer, who, having come to enlighten the world with Your teaching and example, did will to spend the greater part of Your life in humility and subjection to Mary and Joseph in the poor home of Nazareth, thus sanctifying the Family that was to be an example for all Christian families, graciously receive our family as it dedicates and consecrates itself to You this day. Protect us, guard us, and establish among us Your holy fear, true peace, and concord in Christian love: so that by living according to the divine pattern of Your family we may be able, all of us without exception, to attain to eternal happiness.
Mary, dear Mother of Jesus and Mother of us, by your kindly intercession, make this, our humble offering, acceptable in the sight of Jesus, and obtain for us His graces and blessings.
O Saint Joseph, most holy Guardian of Jesus and Mary, help us by your prayers in all our spiritual and temporal needs; so that we may be enabled to praise our divine Savior Jesus, together with Mary and you, for all eternity.
(Recite the Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory 3 times.)
Amen.
Holy Family Prayer by Saint Bernard of Clairvaux
Lord Jesus Christ, who, being made subject to Mary and Joseph, did consecrate domestic life by Your ineffable virtues; grant that we, with the assistance of both, may be taught by the example of Your Holy Family and may attain to its everlasting fellowship. Who lives and reigns, world without end. Amen.
A Prayer for the Family by Saint (Mother) Teresa of Calcutta
Heavenly Father, you have given us the model of life in the Holy Family of Nazareth. Help us, O Loving Father, to make our family another Nazareth where love, peace and joy reign. May it be deeply contemplative, intensely eucharistic, revived with joy. Help us to stay together in joy and sorrow in family prayer. Teach us to see Jesus in the members of our families, especially in their distressing disguise. May the eucharistic heart of Jesus make our hearts humble like his and help us to carry out our family duties in a holy way.
May we love one another as God loves each one of us, more and more each day, and forgive each other’s faults as you forgive our sins. Help us, O Loving Father, to take whatever you give and give whatever you take with a big smile.
Immaculate Heart of Mary, cause of our joy, pray for us.
Saint Joseph, pray for us.
Holy Guardian Angels, be always with us, guide and protect us. Amen
A Pious Invocation
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, I give thee my heart and my soul.
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph assist me in my last agony.
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, may I breathe forth my soul in peace with thee!
Conclusion
The dedication of February to the Holy Family is a rich tradition that invites us to reflect on the eternal significance of family life within the Catholic tradition. This February, let us especially express our devotion to the Holy Family and seek the guidance and intercession of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph in our daily lives. May the Holy Family guide, protect, and inspire us as we strive to imitate them on the path of faith, love, and holiness within our own families.
