Last week, my family found ourselves as visitors at a parish on the South Hill.

Although it was our first time attending mass at St. Peter Catholic Church, the priest was an old friend. When it came time to deliver his homily, Fr. Kevin Oiland led with a quote that is still top-of-mind for me.

We attended mass at St. Peter Catholic Church (Spokane South Hill) on Dec. 27 and our family friend, Fr. Kevin Oiland, delivered a homily about family that really hit home.

“The most extraordinary thing in the world is an ordinary man and an ordinary woman and their ordinary children.”

The quote, uttered by Christian apologist G.K. Chesterton, reverberated my ears with beauty and purpose. It made me take notice that my little clan of four might be more significant than originally thought. Perhaps our unit comprised of two parents who work regular jobs and two children who go to normal school and do normal activities could offer more than meets the eye.

A photo of my family with Fr. Kevin Oiland. It was a blessing to hear our friend preach recently. 

The first Sunday after Christmas is always reserved for the Feast of the Holy Family. On this day we take special care to reflect on the familial unit of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. While reflecting, it is ideal to challenge oneself to emulate the sacred trio and to incorporate their own holiness into our own families. 

The joke is that Joseph must have had it tough being the only sinner in the family. But I guess that allows me to relate to Jesus’ foster dad even more given my status as a serial sinner. However, Joseph’s other traits provide me with the example and inspiration needed to be the best father possible. His words were few (in fact, he doesn’t speak once in the bible) but his actions were powerful. He provided for his family and listened to God. When you boil it down, that pretty much gets to the crux of fatherhood, right?

As we begin 2026, perhaps there isn’t a better resolution than to embrace the holiness that God has intended and expected for families. And like G.K. Chesterton reminds us, this holiness isn’t necessarily reflected by grandiose gestures or trailblazing pursuits. Rather, it is simply an ordinary man and an ordinary woman and their ordinary children doing ordinary things in the name of Christ. Don’t Blink.