When I was a kid I learned the definition of a sweater: A sweater is a garment that a child wears when its mother feels cold. When I see kids out in t-shirts on= a day like this, I want to tell them, “You know, they sell coats your size; I’ve seen them in stores.”&nbs= p; But I also realize that kids feel the weather differently than other people do. Parents and kids g= et into many an argument over clothing – how much of it to wear, how muc= h of it to own, and what style is appropriate.&= nbsp; All this happens because of deeply held principles – a child’s desire to fit in with peers, and a parent’s desire to protect the child from harm. = A lot of arguments that happen in families are virtuous: they happen because of strongly held though opposing beliefs of what is the right thing to do.

Now, I’m single.&n= bsp; I live alone. What do = I know about family life? When I get= into arguments at home, it’s with myself. The nice thing is I always win.

But it’s Holy Family Sunday. Right after we celebrate the birth = of Jesus, the Church invites us to look at his childhood family as the model f= or our households. Jesus, Mary a= nd Joseph had disagreements, but they loved one another. They were virtuous.

Virtues for family life are outlined in today’s sec= ond reading, a passage from Paul’s Letter to the Colossians. Paul is descri= bing the ideal family life, but also the ideal life for the Christian community. These groups overlapped. Many of the first converts were ba= ptized as families, and people like the Colossians were probably related to one another. Around here, you kno= w how this goes. No matter what pew you’re in, you’re probably sitting with someone related to some= one else at church, and if you’re not, just sit there a few more minutes.= The virtues we need for family lif= e are also the virtues we need for parish life, and fo= r life in our city, schools and places of work.

What are those virtues?&= nbsp; Paul offers this list: heartfelt compassion, kin= dness, humility, gentleness, patience, and forgiveness. These are self-explanatory, but Pa= ul spills a little more ink to describe forgiveness, as if we need to give it = more attention. He calls it “bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you,” Paul contin= ues, “so must you also do.” <= /span>Paul must have been familiar with that line from the Lord’s Prayer, which = also uses a few extra words to explain the importance of forgiveness.

Paul compares all these virtues to clothing. You should wear them. In winter, one t-shirt doesn’= ;t keep you as warm as several layers of clothing do. The Christian life is this way. We need layers of virtue to pull it off. “Over all these= 221; virtues, Paul says, “put on love” – the last garment, lik= e a good sweater. It holds the other garments in place. When you h= ave these virtues, the peace of Christ controls your hearts, and you will be thankful.

Even in our closest relationships there will be arguments= , but if we wear our virtues like layers of clothing, and wear love like a sweate= r, the peace of Christ will keep us warm.