The fashion industry thrives because people are particular about the clothes and accessories which they wear. And not just high end fashions, but especially everyday clothing. Certain jobs have written and unwritten dress codes; ones clothing communicates a lot about the person wearing them: the way we dress tells people how we want to be viewed by the rest of the world.

Well today’s second reading has a different slant on what we should wear. St. Paul in his letter to the Colossians tells us to put on, like a piece of clothing, the virtues of heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another. He goes on to say over all these virtues, put on love like a coat that holds everything in place.

As we celebrate this Feast of family life today, every, one of us knows the importance of those values in living with other people. Give and take, letting go of past hurts, anticipating one another’s needs. All these things go a long way toward living in harmony in family life.

What strikes me about that phrase “put on love” is that it isn’t just automatic; it has to be as intentional as getting dressed in the morning. Because it is so easy to take one another for granted when we are with them every single day, we need to step back and remember how important they are in our lives and how we value them. We can say we love one another but it is in living out that love that it becomes a living force in life.

Perhaps when we get dressed each morning, we can also consciously put on heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, and over all that put on love. Then we can walk into our day, proudly showing our family and the world that we are children of the Newborn Savior.