The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph
Lectionary: 17
Reading 1
God sets a father in honor over his children;
a mother’s authority he confirms over her sons.
Whoever honors his father atones for sins,
and preserves himself from them.
When he prays, he is heard;
he stores up riches who reveres his mother.
Whoever honors his father is gladdened by children,
and, when he prays, is heard.
Whoever reveres his father will live a long life;
he who obeys his father brings comfort to his mother.
My son, take care of your father when he is old;
grieve him not as long as he lives.
Even if his mind fail, be considerate of him;
revile him not all the days of his life;
kindness to a father will not be forgotten,
firmly planted against the debt of your sins
—a house raised in justice to you.
or
The word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying:
“Fear not, Abram!
I am your shield;
I will make your reward very great.”
But Abram said,
“O Lord GOD, what good will your gifts be,
if I keep on being childless
and have as my heir the steward of my house, Eliezer?”
Abram continued,
“See, you have given me no offspring,
and so one of my servants will be my heir.”
Then the word of the LORD came to him:
“No, that one shall not be your heir;
your own issue shall be your heir.”
The Lord took Abram outside and said,
“Look up at the sky and count the stars, if you can.
Just so,” he added, “shall your descendants be.”
Abram put his faith in the LORD,
who credited it to him as an act of righteousness.
The LORD took note of Sarah as he had said he would;
he did for her as he had promised.
Sarah became pregnant and bore Abraham a son in his old age,
at the set time that God had stated.
Abraham gave the name Isaac to this son of his
whom Sarah bore him.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (cf. 1) Blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways.
Blessed is everyone who fears the LORD,
who walks in his ways!
For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork;
blessed shall you be, and favored.
R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways.
Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine
in the recesses of your home;
your children like olive plants
around your table.
R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways.
Behold, thus is the man blessed
who fears the LORD.
The LORD bless you from Zion:
may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life.
R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways.
or
R. (7a , 8a) The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
Give thanks to the LORD, invoke his name;
make known among the nations his deeds.
Sing to him, sing his praise,
proclaim all his wondrous deeds.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
Glory in his holy name;
rejoice, O hearts that seek the LORD!
Look to the LORD in his strength;
constantly seek his face.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
You descendants of Abraham, his servants,
sons of Jacob, his chosen ones!
He, the LORD, is our God;
throughout the earth his judgments prevail.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
He remembers forever his covenant
which he made binding for a thousand generations
which he entered into with Abraham
and by his oath to Isaac.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
Reading 2
Brothers and sisters:
Put on, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved,
heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience,
bearing with one another and forgiving one another,
if one has a grievance against another;
as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do.
And over all these put on love,
that is, the bond of perfection.
And let the peace of Christ control your hearts,
the peace into which you were also called in one body.
And be thankful.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly,
as in all wisdom you teach and admonish one another,
singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs
with gratitude in your hearts to God.
And whatever you do, in word or in deed,
do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Wives, be subordinate to your husbands,
as is proper in the Lord.
Husbands, love your wives,
and avoid any bitterness toward them.
Children, obey your parents in everything,
for this is pleasing to the Lord.
Fathers, do not provoke your children,
so they may not become discouraged.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Let the peace of Christ control your hearts;
let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
When the days were completed for their purification
according to the law of Moses,
They took him up to Jerusalem
to present him to the Lord,
just as it is written in the law of the Lord,
Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord,
and to offer the sacrifice of
a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons,
in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord.
Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon.
This man was righteous and devout,
awaiting the consolation of Israel,
and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit
that he should not see death
before he had seen the Christ of the Lord.
He came in the Spirit into the temple;
and when the parents brought in the child Jesus
to perform the custom of the law in regard to him,
He took him into his arms and blessed God, saying:
“Now, Master, you may let your servant go
in peace, according to your word,
for my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you prepared in sight of all the peoples,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and glory for your people Israel.”
The child’s father and mother were amazed at what was said about him;
and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother,
“Behold, this child is destined
for the fall and rise of many in Israel,
and to be a sign that will be contradicted
—and you yourself a sword will pierce—
so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”
There was also a prophetess, Anna,
the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher.
She was advanced in years,
having lived seven years with her husband after her marriage,
and then as a widow until she was eighty-four.
She never left the temple,
but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer.
And coming forward at that very time,
she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child
to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem.
When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions
of the law of the Lord,
they returned to Galilee,
to their own town of Nazareth.
The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom;
and the favor of God was upon him.
MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,
It is surprising how when we think we are going to do something and are very intent on completing the task at hand when something happens that changes the entire situation; putting a wrench into the works of the machine and causing utter disarray. That is where I find myself now. This Sunday we are celebrating The Holy Family which is always celebrated the Sunday after Christmas. It is where we reflect on the Holy Family of Joseph, Mary, and the Child Jesus. We are encouraged to contemplate on the relationship of the three persons within that family and how they relate to our own family and faith-life. Like many of us, the Holy Family endured many trials and tribulations; even to a point where their lives were threatened and they had to flee to Egypt for eleven long years. There is much that can be written about this and there are also many points that we all can bring to prayer and meditation. Unfortunately, this is where we have to divert a little bit and take this entire day of celebration from a different perspective. Circumstances dictate that I am going to have to approach this day on a more personal level and share my own feeling and experiences with the hope that I can heal myself and pass on a message of hope and love to all those who read these words.
Two days ago we celebrated The Solemnity of the Nativity of Our Lord (Christmas). With that we entered the Christmas Season which lasts until Sunday January 10th. We as Roman Catholics celebrate the birth of our Lord Savior Jesus Christ for a total of 17 days until we celebrate the Baptism of the Lord which brings us back into Ordinary Time. This is how important the birth of our savior is that we celebrate it for so long. In fact, more importantly, the eight days following December 25th are all considered high feast days being called the Octave of Christmas. With these days are various days where we commemorate saints and events which have a direct impact on our faith-life. We also learn about the early Christian Church and how it operated. One of these days is today where we learn about the Holy Family and relate them to our own struggles and challenges within our family and faith-life. We are asked to model our own families and behavior after the Holy Family in order to bring about a rich spiritual experience. I was about to speak on this extensively but then, because of what I would like to think of as Divine Providence, I have been forced by circumstances beyond my control to speak about my friend Tommy.
Tommy was a person who has been under my pastoral care for several years now. He was a large barrel-chested Sicilian with a mouth to match. The first impression I had of him was a person who over-indulged in everything that life had to offer and he definitely took more than his share of everything. This led to a very prosperous life for Tommy and his family but also led to a life of addiction, alcohol, and crime. For every step forward Tommy took he also took two steps back. He provided for his family but he also took from his family in the forms of lies, betrayal, and the pursuit of things of the flesh. Eventually all of these things culminated into a history of incarceration. He was alienated from his wife and his children. He found himself alone and answering to his crimes. Only his son talked to him while the rest of the family had given up and moved on.
Many would think that this would be the end of Tommy’s story but it was only the beginning. Tommy committed himself to a life of sobriety and a life with Jesus Christ. He leaned heavily on his relationship with Jesus and rediscovered his faith. He had regrets. He knew where he had failed. Knowing his own faults and taking responsibility for his actions enabled him to change his behaviors and seek amends in his life. He understood that it was never too late to make the adjustments necessary to repair the damage he had done. He started communicating with his family again and slowly made the changes necessary to reestablish the relationships he once held with them. At times this proved challenging but he understood that he had a lot to prove because of the wreckage he had caused in the past.
One of the things that hurt Tommy the most was the estrangement he had with his daughter. In the beginning, Tommy was angry because he felt that his daughter never appreciated the good things he did for her and that she only focused on the bad. Through thoughtful prayer and discernment Tommy realized how, through his own actions, he had hurt his daughter even though it could be argued that for most of his life he was a good provider. He realized he was not there for her on a mental or spiritual level. By getting closer to God Tommy realized how he had hurt his daughter and he became ready to make amends.
Tommy called his wife and they made plans for Christmas. She allowed him come to her house and stay over. Tommy’s daughter was invited and a big Christmas celebration was planned. Tommy bought a beautiful gold necklace for his daughter and his daughter bought many gifts and a card for her father which professed her deep love for him. On Christmas Eve Tommy spent time with his wife preparing the spaghetti sauce that he was known for. Christmas Day was going to be a wonderful day. During the night Tommy died of a heart attack. There was no celebration. There was no reunion. There was only sadness.
This story may seem to be one of heartache and unfulfilled dreams. In reality it was something different. Tommy had reestablished the bond of love between his wife and family. He passed away in his house around the people that he loved. His daughter was rushing forward to meet him and he was doing the same. The presence of Christ and the true ties of our faith were strong in all of the actions of Tommy and his family. It demonstrated the power of faith and love; what God can do when situations seemed hopeless. God is beyond time and space. Death is not the end but only the beginning. Tommy was able to overcome all the struggles and the demons that tortured him to clear a path to his family; being where he was before he went home to God. There was already resolution and the expression of love which remains far beyond the physical presence of Tommy. His actions were a testament to God and the healing power that He has. What Tommy did and what he said was an expression of Jesus Christ and a glimpse of the Kingdom of God. Tommy was where he was supposed to be. He was with his family. That memory will remain with them forever.
The Holy Family teaches us that love can truly conquer everything. Whatever trials and tribulations are faced can be made better through Jesus Christ. As long as we keep our faith as the true foundation of our lives then whatever obstacles we face will be defeated without a doubt. There is no doubt that Tommy loved his family and his final moments displayed that fact: being in his family’s house, making his famous sauce, awaiting his daughter’s arrival so they could embrace and forgive. The intent was there and it was completed. What would have it been like for the family if Tommy never went? His actions transformed their lives forever and brought the entire family closer to God. Tommy will always be with them and they will be with Tommy. As Saint Paul says:
“So faith, hope, love remain these three. But the greatest of these is love.”
Rest in peace Tommy.
Deacon Tom
SOLEMNITY OF THE HOLY FAMILY
The Word of God dwells in us richly. That is our main motivation and goal. First that we, as Christians, need to acknowledge that God does indeed dwell within us because we are His children and He is our Father. Next, we must let God do His work within us to transform ourselves into His likeness. This is an ongoing process that does not reach its completion until we are forever adjoined with Him after our death. Until then, if we are to experience our lives here on this earth in its fullest, we need to keep our focus on him who is our creator. The words that we read from Sacred Scripture and Jesus Christ need to be put in the forefront of our every action and deed. Jesus Christ must become our main focus and the central thought that occupies our consciousness continuously. It is all about Jesus Christ and how we can let Him influence our lives to make it better and more complete. Let Jesus do the work within ourselves so that we can become exemplars of the Faith and become beacons of light and hope for the rest of the world. God calls to us, we respond, and then His presence bursts forth like the noonday sun into the world, becoming part of His creation.
We are all encouraged to meditate on the message of this Sunday dedicated to the Holy Family as we enter the Christmas Season. The Holy Family, the perfect family, is set before us as a reminder how we should examine all of our relationships through the lense of God. Joseph, the Step-Father of Jesus, takes on the roll of protector, mentor, and teacher to Our Lord Jesus Christ. He was called forth in the most difficult circumstances to guide his family through many trials and tribulations. He never lost his faith and he never gave up hope. Faced with scandal, exile, and possible death, he raised his family and kept them safe. Mary, a mere 15 years old and a virgin was revealed to be the Mother of God. With unwavering faith she accepted this responsibility with love and devotion. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, humbled himself in our humanity. He felt what we felt and experienced what we experienced for our salvation. They all survived and lived within the perfect unit of the family.
It is through the experiences in a family where we formulate our values and opinions. The foundation of our entire life is influenced by the interactions we have with our parents and siblings. It acts as a protective net and tool of instruction that will have an impact on everything: positive and negative. It is inescapable. It is within a family that we come to realize the person that we truly are. As Christian, we must make Jesus Christ the center of our family. This will indeed make it more complete. There is a difference in the entirety of the family when this is done. There is a presence of the Divine Love which surrounds all of the members. As long as this Love is present, the family is strengthened and can withstand any obstacle. For where there is love, there is God.
The presence of God’s Love can heal any wounds. So even if the family is broken or becomes broken, it can always be repaired. Just as we all have individually turned away from God in our lives, the same thing can happen within a family: husbands and wives may divorce, children may get into trouble, or some sort of crisis tears the family apart. No wound is too deep not to be healed by God’s Love. No one is perfect and no family is perfect. God doesn’t expect it to be that way. Each member of a family is important and God invites us to transform ourselves into the model of the Holy Family. This is where we find satisfaction, peace, and love. As long as this action is taken, then the road to unity will be felt and eventually accomplished regardless of when it happens. It never is too late.
Repairing the brokenness in a family naturally repairs the brokenness in us. When the process starts, we bring ourselves closer to Jesus Christ.
Deacon Tom
My sisters and brothers in Christ Jesus,
God calls us as family. We begin our life in family. We form families, either biological or in other ways. This basic relationship of the biological family with mother, father and children is given to us throughout our Scriptures and is the basic of civil society.
Today this relationship of family is being challenged on all sides and the divine rate is high and many people spend their life in multiple relationships without every marrying. Our civil society is losing entirely the meaning of family as we find it in Sacred Scripture.
We must not be distracted! Instead, we are challenged to continue to encourage the basic reality of a family with mother, father and children. We are invited to encourage marriage between a man and a woman—but always as a sacrament, a sacred bond lived out in Jesus Christ and in His Church.
The first reading today is from the Book of Genesis and gives us an insight into the life of Abraham. Abraham left his own country to follow the Lord. The Lord promised him descendants so many that they would be equal to the number of the stars. Abraham and Sarah get old without ever having a child. Abraham still trusts in God but wonders how God might bring about the fulfillment of His promise. Finally Isaac is born—after it was really impossible—and then Abraham is asked to sacrifice him. Abraham is put to the test in so many ways!
The focus of the reading, however, is not so much the trials of Abraham but the faith of Abraham that never wavered. Modern Christians face many challenges today and one of them is believing in the family as given to us in the Scriptures and not wavering from that idea of the family, no matter what civil society tells us. Embracing a scriptural view of the family never means rejecting those who don’t accept Scriptures. It does mean, however, being strong enough in faith to insist that there is a God and that God calls us in certain ways and that our Scriptures clearly teach about family and family life.
The second reading comes from the Letter to the Hebrews and again emphasizes the faith of Abraham and the challenge to remain faithful when everything else looks crazy! We are invited to cling to the Lord and to trust in the Word of the Lord. This will mean that, like Abraham, we will look crazy sometimes. Imagine the friends of Abraham over the many years when he kept saying that God would give him descendants! They must have given him a bad time! Or surely they thought of him as simply a crazy old man—perhaps a good man but still not living in reality and accepting that he and his wife would never have a child.
The Gospel is from Saint Luke today and is about the presentation of Jesus in the temple. Here we gave Mary and Joseph presenting their child and two old people in the temple, Simeon and Anna, who were waiting for salvation, were able to see in Jesus the fulfillment of the prophecies. Incredible.
So from the three readings today, we can commit ourselves to defending the scriptural understanding of family. We don’t need to attack anyone, only live this mystery clearly in our own lives and speak clearly when asked. We can also commit ourselves to understanding Scripture so that, like Anna and Simeon, we won’t miss the fulfillment of Scripture when it happens.
Your brother in the Lord,
Abbot Philip
