As a father and grandfather I really enjoy the celebration of the Feast of the Holy Family which allows us to look at how this God incarnate…this Christ Child…this God among us has a direct connection to our daily life and our family. Which raises questions like: How do we as a community of believers share the blessings from this table onto others? How can we help others see God in themselves? How do we bring the gift and graces from the altar table onto the table of our homes? Perhaps a story about a father, his daughter and Mr. Rodgers will shed some light... Check it out…

1. 1 Deacon Jim Knipper
27 December 2020 Feast of the Holy Family Princeton, NJ
Well, while the day of giving and receiving gifts has past, we continue to give thanks and celebrate Christmas and the
God’s gift to us of his only begotten son. And as a father and grandfather…I really enjoy the celebration of the Holy
Family…which allows us to look at how this God incarnate…this Christ Child…this God among us – has a direct
connection to our daily life and our family. For it is a time where we are invited to bring the crèche of Christ and the love
of the Holy Family into each of our own homes.
At times, I think we live in a society where all too often we can easily fall prey to the notion of separating the secular and
the sacred. What I mean by this is that we have the capacity to separate what we do when we come to mass each
weekend versus what we do the rest of the week – when they really are…and should be one and the same – for it is all
too easy for us to close our eyes to what is sacramental.
The term sacramental simply refers to something that points us to God. Looking at the big picture, theologian Msgr.
Kevin Irwin defines the entire world as being sacramental for it is the locus, the place, where the incarnate God is
experienced. More particular to the present…obviously our liturgical celebration this morning is sacramental – for it is an
act of we, the Church, the body of Christ – and it is one that that points us to God. Liturgy is a time when we all gather
and come together around the table – either here in person or virtually. It is a time that we all have the opportunity to
open ourselves up in order to partake of God’s ever present saving grace and unconditional love…and it is a time that we
are all sent forth to do God’s work.
It is author and theologian Rosemary Haughton who writes that “liturgy is formation for transformation.” And for this
transformation to take place within ourselves and for others it can’t be limited to one hour a week. For if we stop here
each weekend…and then simply rejoin the world that focuses on quid pro quo, who is in and who is out and engaging in
one win-lose scenario after another – then we have missed the reason we gather together each week. For it is necessary
to take the unearned gifts and graces from this table before us and bring it back to each of our homes and into the fabric
of our lives.
Remember where “church” began…that up to the beginning of the 4th
century the church was located in the home. The
presiders of prayer would have been the elders of the home. And what we heard in today’s second reading is Paul’s
exhortation on how families should live and pray together – bearing with one another, forgiving one another and above all
things – to put on love.
The family table they dined on to nourish their bodies was the same table that was used for liturgy, which nourished their
souls. There was an obvious connection between the family’s prayer life and the family’s way of life. But once Christianity
quickly rose to become the dominant religion in the Roman Empire, “Church” was pulled from the homes and placed in
larger, public gathering spaces, owned by the government, called basilicas. But within a short time, St. John Chrysostom
saw the shift that was taking place and repeatedly urged all Christians to make each home a "family church," and in doing
so thereby sanctify the family unit.
And 1,700 years later we are still being called to make our home and our daily lives a family church. We are still being
called to bring Christ, the incarnate God into our families. We are still being called to connect this table, this altar…with
the tables in each of our homes.
Author John McCarthy, in his recent article wrote about teaching his young daughter the importance of the family
table…with an invitation to Mr. Rodgers. Here is his story:
“Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” had a beautiful simplicity marked by a wonderment at the world, a curiosity about things
taken for granted, and stories of people working through problems. Fred Rogers embodied a spirit of unconditional care
and acceptance, a fervent faith in children and a calming gentleness that communicated safety. His present-focused
manner was the antithesis of the stressful, multitasking world of parenthood that I had come to know all too well.

2. 2 Deacon Jim Knipper
“He became a central figure in my emerging fatherhood. My daughter and I sang his songs during our morning strolls and
played in the local Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh section dedicated to his program.
“His “Neighborhood” was mesmerizing to my daughter and me. So, around my daughter’s second birthday, I had a Mister
Rogers-inspired idea. Why not invite one key person in my daughter’s world to dinner each month? The local children’s
librarian could visit one evening, and perhaps the borough mayor could drop by a few weeks later. But I wanted to start at
the top.
““Let’s invite Mister Rogers himself,” I said to my wife. “After all, he lives just a few neighborhoods away. I bet he’d come.”
She looked at me as if I wanted to invite the pope. “You really think Mister Rogers would come to our house for dinner?
Fat chance.”
“Undeterred, I sent a letter to Mister Rogers that fall, telling him of our delight in his show and my idea for inviting
neighborhood people over to talk about their lives, and asking him and Mrs. Rogers to be our inaugural guests.
“Three months later there was no reply. But soon after we learned that Mister Rodger’s passed away. I was unaware of
his illness and now understood why our invitation had gone unanswered. I took my daughter to the Children’s Museum
about a week later and we spent time in his presence, playing on the trolley and singing along with his songs.
“No, Mister Rogers would not be coming to our family table at all.
“Yet, even after his passing, Mister Rogers gave us a far greater gift than I ever could have imagined. Upon arriving
home from the museum that afternoon, I was stunned to find a letter in our mailbox from Mister Rogers. The
accompanying note from his producer indicated that it was among the letters written in the early stage of his illness.
“The one-page typed letter was akin to something from an old friend: personal, gracious and caring. He apologized for not
responding sooner and told us that he was honored by the invitation before saying that he couldn’t attend.
“The letter - his heartwarming gesture 17 years ago means all the more to me during this pandemic, a time of despair,
distress and isolation for many in our neighborhoods. His note inspires me to be a better neighbor, to make it more of a
point to greet people by name, recognize birthdays and offer random acts of kindness to unknown others in my
communities.
“His parting gift motivates me to teach my daughters the importance of neighbors in the world. I hope that they become
ambassadors of Mister Rogers’ spirit as they navigate young adulthood, finding avenues that lift others’ spirits, even if in
seemingly small ways.
“Yes, Mister Rogers never came to our table to dine with us, but in the end, he shared much more enduring gifts with me:
Believing in others. Hoping for the future. Seeing true dignity in humankind. And knowing that, when least expected,
sometimes the best presents in life come from a special neighbor.”
So, once we are able to freely and safely reconnect in person - who should be invited to your table? In the meantime,
what neighbor would be blessed with a call or a note from you? How do we as a community of believers share the
blessings from this table onto others? How can we help others see God in themselves?
Thus, on these days following Christmas we still shout Emmanuel! God is with us! So come – take those steps
necessary to connect your sacred life to your secular life…and bring the love of this incarnate God and the blessings of
this table, this altar back to your table, back to your family, back to your neighbor - and to make them a mainstay of your
everyday lives.