On the Sunday after Christmas we very appropriately celebrate the feast of the Holy Family. Jesus would be part of this family for at least 30 years before leaving to take up his mission to proclaim the Kingdom which would end with the sacrifice of his life in love for us and his leading us into new and unending life. In this Year B the Gospel is the story of the Presentation in the Temple, an event in which the whole family was involved. It consists of the offering of Jesus, as the first-born, to God his Father, an offering which will be completed on the Cross. There are two other people who come into the story - Simeon and Anna, who had both spent their lives in total dedication to God's service. Simeon makes a special prophecy. In it he warns that Jesus will be the cause of the rise and fall of many, depending on how they respond to his call. Mary, too, is warned that a sword of sorrow will pierce her heart - a forecast of the pain that will come to her later in life, most of all as she stands desolately at the foot of the cross while her Son dies a horrible death. She had said 'Yes' to the angel in Nazareth on that day of the Annunciation and she never retracted it. Today let us pray for families everywhere, especially those who are going through difficult times.