Sir 3:2-6, 12-14, Col 3:12-21, Lk 2: 22-40 or Lk 2: 22& 39-40
Pope Francis once said that as a child, he heard a story of a family with a mother, father, many children and a grandfather. The grandfather, suffering from Parkinson’s illness, would drop food on the dining table, and smear it all over his face when he ate. His son considered it disgusting. Hence, one day he bought a small table and set it off to the side of the dining hall so the grandfather would eat, make a mess and not disturb the rest of the family. One day, the Pope said, the grandfather’s son came home and found one of his sons playing with a piece of wood. “What are you making?” he asked his son. “A table,” the son replies. “Why?” the father asks. “It’s for you, Dad, when you get old like grandpa, I am going to give you this table.” Ever since that day, the grandpa was given a prominent seat at the dining table and all the help he needed in eating by his son and daughter-in-law. “This story has done me such good throughout my life,” said Pope Francis. “Grandparents are a treasure,” he said. “Often old age isn’t pretty, right? There is sickness and all that, but the wisdom our grandparents have is something we must welcome as an inheritance.” A society or community that does not value, respect and care for its elderly members “doesn’t have a future because it has no memory, it’s lost its memory,” Pope Francis added.
On the last Sunday of the year, we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family. We are here to offer all the members of our own families on the altar for God’s blessing. The first reading is a commentary on the fourth commandment: “Honor your father and your mother.” Sirach reminds children of their duty to honor their parents – even when it becomes difficult. He also mentions the five-fold reward which God promises to those who honor their father and mother. The first reward is “riches,” and the second long life: Forgiveness of sins and God’s prompt answer to prayers are the fourth and fifth rewards. Paul, in the letter to the Colossians, advises us that we should put on love and remain thankful in our relationships with one another. Paul teaches that children should learn and practice noble qualities like compassion, kindness, forgiveness and sharing in the warmth of the family. Today’s Gospel describes how Joseph presented Mary and the Child Jesus in the Temple for the ritual of the mother’s purification and the child’s “presentation.”
Although more emphasis is given in the first two readings on the obligation of children to their parents, there is a profound lesson here for parents too. “Like father like son” is an old saying, and very often true. If the parents fail to do what is right and just in the sight of God, they can hardly complain if their children turn out disobedient to God and to them. The young learn more from example than from precept. If parents give their children the example of a life of obedience to the laws of God and their country, the children will in turn carry out their duties to God, to their parents and to their fellowman.
The Gospel describes how Joseph, as the head of the Holy Family of Nazareth, presented Mary and the Baby Jesus in the Temple of God for the mother’s purification and the Child’s “redemption.” The Mosaic Law taught that since every Jewish firstborn male child belonged to Yahweh, the parents had to “buy back” (redeem), the child by offering a lamb or turtledoves as a sacrifice in the Temple. In addition, every mother had to be purified after childbirth by prayers and an offering made to God in the Temple. Joseph kept these laws as an act of obedience to God. By the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the old, pious and Spirit-filled Simeon and Anna had been waiting in the Temple for the revelation of God’s salvation. Simeon recognized Jesus as the Lord’s anointed one, and in his prayer of blessing he prophesied that Jesus was meant to be the glory of Israel and the light of revelation to the Gentiles. While he blessed Mary, he warned her that her child would be “a sign of contradiction,” and that she would be “pierced with a sword.”
We know that the family of Jesus was steeped in Scripture. Mary’s prayer, the Magnificat, is rich in Old Testament quotations. We know that Jesus’ family had a deep life of piety that included pilgrimages and prayer to the angels. Both Mary and Joseph were accustomed to receiving the guidance of Heaven’s messengers. From Jesus’ adulthood, we can also glimpse the prayer life He learned from His parents. He prayed the morning offering of pious Jews. He prayed spontaneously. He took time to pray alone. Yet, He also prayed with His friends. Jesus fasted and marked the holy days. All these habits He probably acquired from His home life in Nazareth. We know that work was important to Jesus’ family. In adulthood, Jesus was called not just “Joseph’s son,” but “the carpenter’s son.” Joseph was skilled in a trade that was highly regarded in his day, and he trained Jesus in the same craft. We can conclude from Jesus’ preaching that Mary was industrious and frugal in keeping a house. It was likely from her example that Jesus drew many of His favorite stories: a woman finding just the right cloth to patch a piece of clothing, a woman setting aside leaven for tomorrow’s baking, a widow searching her house for a lost coin, Hard work, struggling to pay the bills, taking long road trips, praying simple devotions — all of this we learn from the real Gospels.
Life Messages : 1) We need to learn lessons from the Holy Family : The Church today, encourages us to look to the Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph for inspiration, example and encouragement. They were a model family in which both parents worked hard, helped each other, understood and accepted each other, and took good care of their Child so that He might grow up not only in human knowledge but also as a Child of God. Jesus brought holiness to the family of Joseph and Mary as Jesus brings us holiness by embracing us in His family.
2) Marriage: a Sacrament of holiness . The Feast of the Holy Family reminds us that, as the basic unit of the universal Church, each family is called to holiness. In fact, Jesus Christ has instituted two Sacraments in His Church to make society holy – the Sacrament of priesthood and the Sacrament of marriage. Through the Sacrament of marriage, Jesus sanctifies not only the spouses but also the entire family. The husband and wife attain holiness when they discharge their duties faithfully, trusting in God, and drawing on the presence and power of the Holy Spirit through personal and family prayer, meditative reading of the Bible, and devout participation in Holy Mass.
3) We need to make the family a confessional rather than a courtroom. A senior Judge of the Supreme Court congratulated the bride and groom in a marriage with a pertinent piece of advice: “See that you never convert your family into a courtroom; instead let it be a confessional. If the husband and wife start arguing like attorneys in an attempt to justify their behavior, their family becomes a court of law and nobody wins. On the other hand, if the husband and the wife — as in a confessional — are ready to admit their faults and try to correct them, the family becomes a heavenly one.”
4) Let us extend the boundaries of our family: The homeless man or woman today in the streets of big cities, fighting the vagaries of weather, is part of our family. The drug addict in a den, or living in fear and aloneness this day, is member of our family. The sick person, dying, alone, dirty and maybe even obnoxious, is a member of our family. The person sitting in the prison cell for whatever reason is also a child of God, and as such, according to St. John, is a member of our family. All these, as well as the cherished intimate members of our family, are “family valuables,” and, as such, are worthy of safekeeping and reverence.
On the Feast of the perfect Family, all parents might examine themselves and see how well they are fulfilling the grave responsibility which God has placed on them. As they heard during their marriage ceremony: “children are a gift from God to you.” Children serve as the joy of their parents’ young years and the help and comfort of their old age, but above and beyond that, they are a gift for which their parents are accountable before God, as they must, in the end, return these, His children, to Him. Let us pray for the grace of caring for one another in our own families, for each member of the parish family, and for all families of the universal Church. May God bless all our families in the New Year.
A few years ago, a study was undertaken to find the U.S. city with the lowest incidence of cancer and heart disease. The winner was Rosetto, Pennsylvania. Soon experts descended upon the city expecting to see a town populated by non-smokers, people who ate the correct food, took regular exercise and kept close track of their cholesterol. To their great surprise, however, the researchers discovered that none of the above was true. They found instead that the city’s good health was tied to the close family bonds that prevailed within the community. This suggests that there is much to be said for a close and loving family relationship.
(Source: Homilies of Fr. Anthony Kadavil)
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has been awarded the International Charlemagne Prize of Aachen, the oldest and best-known prize awarded for work done in the service of European unification.
The announcement was made on Wednesday in the city of Aachen; the Pope will physically receive the award at a date still to be set, in Rome.
The Prize is named for Charlemagne, the Franconian king revered by his contemporaries as the “Father of Europe.
Listen to the report by Linda Bordoni :
A communiqué by the Prize Committee said that Pope Francis has sent “a message of hope and encouragement” at a time in which “many citizens in Europe are seeking orientation.”
The Pope – it continues – is a witness for a community based on values which include a sense of humanity, the protection of resources and dialogue between cultures and religions at a European level.
The Committee explains that in “recent years Europe has experienced great weaknesses, crises and setbacks” that have seriously pushed back “all the achievements of the European process of integration.”
To all this – it says – Francis opposes a message of hope.
Quoting from his discourse to the European Parliament in November 2014, the communiqué says the Pope’s message is a wake-up call for Europe: “The time has come for us to abandon the idea of a Europe which is fearful and self-absorbed.”
And again: “The time has come to work together in building a Europe which revolves not around the economy, but around the sacredness of the human person, around inalienable values.”
The Pope – said Marcel Philipp, the Mayor of Aachen speaking to the press upon the announcement of the Award – is the “voice of conscience” that demands we put people at the center of our concerns, “he is an extraordinary moral authority.”
Previous winners of the International Charlemagne Prize include St. Pope John Paul II who received a special edition of the award in 2004, Czech dissident and Statesman Vaclav Havel and Brother Roger Schutz, founder of the ecumenical community of Taizé.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) The Cardinal Secretary of State, Pietro Parolin, said on Tuesday the Church cannot abandon those who are involved in the “spiral of drugs.”
Cardinal Parolin was celebrating Mass at the Italian Centre of Solidarity Don Mario Picchi in Rome, marking the Jubilee of Mercy. Those at the Mass were being treated for drug addiction, accompanied by their families, as well as many who have overcome their dependency.
“We cannot limit ourselves to the work of recovery,” he said. “We have to work on prevention. We have here before us the example of many young people who, eager to escape drug addiction, are committed to rebuilding their lives. It is an incentive to look ahead with faith.”
Cardinal Parolin said faith in Christ can help them in their recovery.
“Your lives, with scars that speak of suffering and pain, but they also recount the resurrection of Christ that takes place within you,” he said. “You are now resurrected with Jesus to new life, and you agree, like the disciples of Emmaus, to walk forever with the Master along the roads of your lives not falling into the same mistakes. In doing this you are not alone, and you can count on the help of the Lord and the closeness of so many friends and fellow travelers.”
During his homily, Cardinal Parolin said the Church “cannot remain silent” in the face of the drugs crisis, and reiterated the position of Pope Francis that drugs are “an evil” and we “cannot compromise” on the issue, along with noting the legalization of so-called “soft drugs” has not had the desired effect of limiting their damage.
“In recent years, unfortunately, the range of addictions has kept on expanding more and more,” added Cardinal Parolin, mentioning compulsive addictions to surfing the Internet, shopping, gambling, food and sex.
Cardinal Parolin also thanked the Italian Centre of Solidarity Don Mario Picchi for their work in welcoming refugees, and helping the elderly, the sick, and at-risk fathers. He encouraged them in their fight against what Pope Francis calls “a culture of waste.”
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis will celebrate the Jubilee of Mercy for Families on Sunday 27 December, Feast of the Holy Family.
The Pope ushered in the Jubilee Year of Mercy on 8 December, the day the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception and he is scheduled to close it on 20 November 2016, the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ the King, with the closing of the Holy Door in St. Peter’s Basilica.
Pope Francis has asked all believers “to find in this Jubilee the joy of rediscovering and rendering fruitful God’s mercy (…) and to not forget that God forgives all , and God forgives always ”.
He has invited us go forward in the year-long penitential journey with an open heart “to receive the indulgence and the mercy of God”.
From an organizational point of view highlights of the Jubilee Year include the sending forth of the Missionaries of Mercy on Ash Wednesday and World Youth Day, which will take place in Krakow, Poland from 26-31 July.
Special jubilee days throughout the year are dedicated to groups of people in the Church, including Jubilees for Consecrated Life, for young children, for the sick, and for catechists. There will also be a Marian jubilee on the Saturday and Sunday following the Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary.
Coming up on Sunday 27 December Pope Francis will celebrate the Jubilee of Families with a special Mass for families in St. Peter’s Basilica.
For the occasion he is inviting families, all together, to join celebrations and cross the thresholds of Holy Doors – be they in St Peter’s Basilica – or in other Churches or Cathedrals throughout the world.
Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, Head of the Pontifical Council for the Family spoke to Vatican Radio about the significance of this particular jubilee:
Listen :
Archbishop Paglia says the Jubilee of Families is an occasion to rediscover the vocation and the mission of the family – and that is he says – is in the need to step out of our constricted selves and small family circles.
“We run the risk of staying ‘inside’ and this is a great danger – for families too!” he says.
It is important he says to go out, to cross the thresholds of our doors and to meet the whole of society, to meet all people, “especially poor people in order to be able to give to them the strength of brotherhood and solidarity, in order to transform our society into a real family of peoples”.
Archbishop Paglia underlines the fact that the mission and the vocation of Christian families is “to transform an individualistic world into a familiar world”.
Another vocation of families, he says, is “to defend the creation – our common home – for one large pluralistic family of peoples”.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis received the employees of the Holy See and the Vatican City State in a special audience on Monday, to exchange Christmas greetings with them and their families. During the course of the audience, the Holy Father expressed his gratitude to the workers and their families, and asked forgiveness for the recent scandals in the Vatican.
Click below to hear our report
“As I thank you,” Pope Francis said, “I also want to ask your forgiveness for the scandals that there have been in the Vatican. I wish, however, that my attitude and yours, especially in these days, be above all one of prayer: pray for the people involved in these scandals, that those who have done wrong might repent and find the right path once again.”
The Holy Father also encouraged his employees to cultivate family life.
“I encourage you to take care of your marriage and your children,” he said. “Marriage is like a plant,” he continued. “It is not like a closet, that you put there, in the room, and just dust it occasionally: a plant is alive, it should be cared for every day.” Likewise, “A marriage is a living reality: the couple’s life should never be taken for granted, at no stage of the path of a family. Let us remember that the most precious gift for the children are not things, but the love of parents – and I mean not only the love of parents towards their children, but parents’ love for each other.”
Departing from his prepared text, the Holy Father had particular words for grandparents and their role in the health of family life and the upbringing of children. “Grandparents are so important in the family,” he said, “grandparents have memory, have wisdom: do not leave grandparents aside.”
Forgiveness was another major theme of Pope Francis’ unscripted reflections: peacemaking among spouses and among children. “The Jubilee is something to be lived in the domestic Church, as well, not only in the big events,” he said. “Indeed, God loves those who practice mercy in ordinary circumstances,” he continued. “This I want to wish you: to experience the joy of mercy,beginning in your family.”
Pope Francis concluded, saying, “Thanks for your work, forgiveness for the scandals and, ‘Onward!’: go forward in this community and bring my greetings and my best wishes to your loved ones, the elderly and the sick – and continue, please, to pray for me. Thanks again and ‘Merry Christmas!’”
(from Vatican Radio)…