Every year on the Sunday following the celebration of the birth of Jesus, we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family. It is a very special family in many ways and yet in the beauty of its members and their relationship with each other, it is a model not only for every family but wherever people need to live together in harmony. The readings link the birth of Jesus with that of Abraham's son, Isaac, born late in his parents' marriage and the fruit of their faith and trust in God's promise. And if Abraham's descendants could be as numerous as the grains of sand by the seashore or like the stars in the heavens, even more so can that be said of Jesus. And, as Abraham, in an extraordinary act of trust in God, was ready to sacrifice his only legitimate son and heir on God's orders, God Himself will not spare His only Son to be sacrificed on our behalf. And in today's Gospel, Mary and Joseph, in presenting their child unconditionally to God, prepare themselves to sacrifice Him too in the service of the Father.