Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and
Joseph
Lectionary: 17
Lectionary: 17
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.
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 1Sm 1:20-22, 24-28
In those days Hannah conceived, and at the end of her term bore
a son
whom she called Samuel, since she had asked the LORD for him.
The next time her husband Elkanah was going up
with the rest of his household
to offer the customary sacrifice to the LORD and to fulfill his vows,
Hannah did not go, explaining to her husband,
"Once the child is weaned,
I will take him to appear before the LORD
and to remain there forever;
I will offer him as a perpetual nazirite."
Once Samuel was weaned, Hannah brought him up with her,
along with a three-year-old bull,
an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine,
and presented him at the temple of the LORD in Shiloh.
After the boy's father had sacrificed the young bull,
Hannah, his mother, approached Eli and said:
"Pardon, my lord!
As you live, my lord,
I am the woman who stood near you here, praying to the LORD.
I prayed for this child, and the LORD granted my request.
Now I, in turn, give him to the LORD;
as long as he lives, he shall be dedicated to the LORD."
Hannah left Samuel there.
whom she called Samuel, since she had asked the LORD for him.
The next time her husband Elkanah was going up
with the rest of his household
to offer the customary sacrifice to the LORD and to fulfill his vows,
Hannah did not go, explaining to her husband,
"Once the child is weaned,
I will take him to appear before the LORD
and to remain there forever;
I will offer him as a perpetual nazirite."
Once Samuel was weaned, Hannah brought him up with her,
along with a three-year-old bull,
an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine,
and presented him at the temple of the LORD in Shiloh.
After the boy's father had sacrificed the young bull,
Hannah, his mother, approached Eli and said:
"Pardon, my lord!
As you live, my lord,
I am the woman who stood near you here, praying to the LORD.
I prayed for this child, and the LORD granted my request.
Now I, in turn, give him to the LORD;
as long as he lives, he shall be dedicated to the LORD."
Hannah left Samuel there.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 128:1-2, 3, 4-5.
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.
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 Ps 84:2-3, 5-6, 9-10.
R. (cf. 5a) Blessed
are they who dwell in your house, O Lord.
How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of hosts!
My soul yearns and pines for the courts of the LORD.
My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.
R. Blessed are they who dwell in your house, O Lord.
Happy they who dwell in your house!
Continually they praise you.
Happy the men whose strength you are!
Their hearts are set upon the pilgrimage.
R. Blessed are they who dwell in your house, O Lord.
O LORD of hosts, hear our prayer;
hearken, O God of Jacob!
O God, behold our shield,
and look upon the face of your anointed.
R. Blessed are they who dwell in your house, O Lord.
How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of hosts!
My soul yearns and pines for the courts of the LORD.
My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.
R. Blessed are they who dwell in your house, O Lord.
Happy they who dwell in your house!
Continually they praise you.
Happy the men whose strength you are!
Their hearts are set upon the pilgrimage.
R. Blessed are they who dwell in your house, O Lord.
O LORD of hosts, hear our prayer;
hearken, O God of Jacob!
O God, behold our shield,
and look upon the face of your anointed.
R. Blessed are they who dwell in your house, O Lord.
Reading 2 Col 3:12-21
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.
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.
Or Col 3:12-17
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.
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.
Or1 Jn 3:1-2, 21-24
Beloved:
See what love the Father has bestowed on us
that we may be called the children of God.
And so we are.
The reason the world does not know us
is that it did not know him.
Beloved, we are God's children now;
what we shall be has not yet been revealed.
We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him,
for we shall see him as he is.
Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us,
we have confidence in God and receive from him whatever we ask,
because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.
And his commandment is this:
we should believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ,
and love one another just as he commanded us.
Those who keep his commandments remain in him, and he in them,
and the way we know that he remains in us
is from the Spirit he gave us.
See what love the Father has bestowed on us
that we may be called the children of God.
And so we are.
The reason the world does not know us
is that it did not know him.
Beloved, we are God's children now;
what we shall be has not yet been revealed.
We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him,
for we shall see him as he is.
Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us,
we have confidence in God and receive from him whatever we ask,
because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.
And his commandment is this:
we should believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ,
and love one another just as he commanded us.
Those who keep his commandments remain in him, and he in them,
and the way we know that he remains in us
is from the Spirit he gave us.
GospelLk 2:41-52
Each year Jesus' parents went to Jerusalem for the feast
of Passover,
and when he was twelve years old,
they went up according to festival custom.
After they had completed its days, as they were returning,
the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem,
but his parents did not know it.
Thinking that he was in the caravan,
they journeyed for a day
and looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances,
but not finding him,
they returned to Jerusalem to look for him.
After three days they found him in the temple,
sitting in the midst of the teachers,
listening to them and asking them questions,
and all who heard him were astounded
at his understanding and his answers.
When his parents saw him,
they were astonished,
and his mother said to him,
"Son, why have you done this to us?
Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety."
And he said to them,
"Why were you looking for me?
Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?"
But they did not understand what he said to them.
He went down with them and came to Nazareth,
and was obedient to them;
and his mother kept all these things in her heart.
And Jesus advanced in wisdom and age and favor
before God and man.
of Passover,
and when he was twelve years old,
they went up according to festival custom.
After they had completed its days, as they were returning,
the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem,
but his parents did not know it.
Thinking that he was in the caravan,
they journeyed for a day
and looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances,
but not finding him,
they returned to Jerusalem to look for him.
After three days they found him in the temple,
sitting in the midst of the teachers,
listening to them and asking them questions,
and all who heard him were astounded
at his understanding and his answers.
When his parents saw him,
they were astonished,
and his mother said to him,
"Son, why have you done this to us?
Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety."
And he said to them,
"Why were you looking for me?
Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?"
But they did not understand what he said to them.
He went down with them and came to Nazareth,
and was obedient to them;
and his mother kept all these things in her heart.
And Jesus advanced in wisdom and age and favor
before God and man.
www.usccb.org
Meditation: "I must be in my Father's house"
What binds families together? Jesus came to show us the way
to the Father's house in heaven – a way of unconditional love and unity, peace
and harmony, trust and submission as members of God's family. Luke tells us in
his Gospel account that the boy Jesus was subject to Mary his mother and Joseph
his foster father. He traveled with his parents every year from Nazerth to
Jerusalem for the feast of Passover. This eighty mile journey normally took
three days. So families often traveled in large groups, for safety and comfort.
The account of Jesus' early life at Nazareth is mostly hidden. But Luke gives
us a glimpse when Jesus goes up to the temple at Jerusalem for his first
Passover at the dawn of his manhood (usually the age of twelve for Jewish
males). It was at this key
turning point in his earthly life that Jesus took the name "father"
from Joseph and addressed it to God his Father in heaven. Just as the prophet Samuel
heard the call of the Lord at a very young age, Jesus in his youth recognized
that he has been given a call by his heavenly Father. His answer to his
mother's anxious inquiry reveals his trusting faith and confident determination
to pursue his heavenly Father's will. Did
you not know that I must be in my Father's house?While Jesus recognized his unique call, he, nonetheless, submitted himself with love and obedience to Joseph and Mary and waited for the time when his call would be fulfilled. Like all godly parents, Mary and Joseph raised their son in the fear and wisdom of God. The Lord's favor is with those who listen to his word with trust and obedience. Do you know the joy of submission to God?
Our Heavenly Father calls each of us to a unique task and mission in this life. We may not discover or understand it fully, but if we cooperate with God he will use us for his purpose and plan. With the call God gives grace – grace to say "yes" to his will and grace to persevere through obstacles and trials. Do you recognize God's call on your life and do you trust in his grace?
"Lord Jesus, you came to restore us to unity with the Father in heaven. Where there is division, bring healing and pardon. May all peoples and families find peace, wholeness, and unity in you, the Prince of Peace and Savior of the world."
www.dailyscripture.net
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 30
FEAST OF THE HOLY FAMILY OF JESUS, MARY AND JOSEPH
MATTHEW 2:13-15,19-23
(Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14; Psalm 128; Colossians 3:12-21)
KEY VERSE: "Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt and stay there until I tell you" (v 13).
READING: Because of his skill in interpreting dreams, the patriarch Joseph rose to prominence in the service of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt (Gn 41:46). In Egypt, Joseph saved his whole family from starvation (47:12). Later, Moses, the great Lawgiver, fled from Egypt because of the Pharaoh's wrath. When those who sought Moses' life were dead the Lord told him to return to Egypt and lead his people to freedom (Ex 4:19). Matthew cites the Holy Family's flight to Egypt to show that Jesus relived Israel's deliverance in the Exodus in fulfillment of the prophecy, "Out of Egypt I called my son" (Hos 11:1; Mt 2:15). When King Herod died, an angel told Joseph to return to Israel. Joseph was afraid to go to Judea since Herod's son Archelaus now ruled half of the kingdom with the same cruelty of his father. So Joseph took his family to Nazareth, an obscure village in Galilee in the "land of the Gentiles." Isaiah prophesied that it was in this region, the land of the Gentiles, that a "great light" was destined to arise (Is 8:23).
REFLECTING: In what ways is the Holy Family a model for my family?
PRAYING: Jesus, Mary and Joseph, pray for the deliverance of all who live in fear for their lives.
FEAST OF THE HOLY FAMILY OF JESUS, MARY AND JOSEPH
The Feast of the Holy Family usually falls on the Sunday after Christmas. If Christmas is a Sunday, then the feast is celebrated on December 30th. The Holy Family is the name given to the family unit of Jesus: The Divine Son of God, Jesus, his mother Mary, and his foster-father Joseph. Devotion to the Holy Family is a recent development, but one that naturally grows out of a love for Jesus and his family. The Feast of the Holy Family is not just about the Holy Family, but about our own families. The main purpose of the feast is to present the Holy Family as the model for all Christian families. Our family life becomes sanctified when we live the life of the Church within our homes. This is called the �domestic church� or the �church in miniature.� St. John Chrysostom urged all Christians to make each home a �family church,� and in doing so, we sanctify the family unit.
FEAST OF THE HOLY FAMILY OF JESUS, MARY AND JOSEPH
MATTHEW 2:13-15,19-23
(Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14; Psalm 128; Colossians 3:12-21)
KEY VERSE: "Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt and stay there until I tell you" (v 13).
READING: Because of his skill in interpreting dreams, the patriarch Joseph rose to prominence in the service of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt (Gn 41:46). In Egypt, Joseph saved his whole family from starvation (47:12). Later, Moses, the great Lawgiver, fled from Egypt because of the Pharaoh's wrath. When those who sought Moses' life were dead the Lord told him to return to Egypt and lead his people to freedom (Ex 4:19). Matthew cites the Holy Family's flight to Egypt to show that Jesus relived Israel's deliverance in the Exodus in fulfillment of the prophecy, "Out of Egypt I called my son" (Hos 11:1; Mt 2:15). When King Herod died, an angel told Joseph to return to Israel. Joseph was afraid to go to Judea since Herod's son Archelaus now ruled half of the kingdom with the same cruelty of his father. So Joseph took his family to Nazareth, an obscure village in Galilee in the "land of the Gentiles." Isaiah prophesied that it was in this region, the land of the Gentiles, that a "great light" was destined to arise (Is 8:23).
REFLECTING: In what ways is the Holy Family a model for my family?
PRAYING: Jesus, Mary and Joseph, pray for the deliverance of all who live in fear for their lives.
FEAST OF THE HOLY FAMILY OF JESUS, MARY AND JOSEPH
The Feast of the Holy Family usually falls on the Sunday after Christmas. If Christmas is a Sunday, then the feast is celebrated on December 30th. The Holy Family is the name given to the family unit of Jesus: The Divine Son of God, Jesus, his mother Mary, and his foster-father Joseph. Devotion to the Holy Family is a recent development, but one that naturally grows out of a love for Jesus and his family. The Feast of the Holy Family is not just about the Holy Family, but about our own families. The main purpose of the feast is to present the Holy Family as the model for all Christian families. Our family life becomes sanctified when we live the life of the Church within our homes. This is called the �domestic church� or the �church in miniature.� St. John Chrysostom urged all Christians to make each home a �family church,� and in doing so, we sanctify the family unit.
www.daily-word-of-life.com
How happy they who dwell in your house,
O Lord
How happy
are they who dwell in your house, O Lord.There’s a beautiful scene that opens the 2006 film, ‘The Nativity Story’. Mary’s mother, Anna, is in the kitchen, telling a story from the Torah to a group of children from the village. It is an ageless scene of mothers passing on faith to children: an image of the domestic church in action through the word.
The movie continues and tells the story of the journey of Mary and Joseph together bringing the Christ child to birth. An earthy story of commitment and trust in a relationship judged harshly by the social mores of the day. A story of a family coming into being through trust in God and acceptance of God’s plan, unseen and yet constantly unfolding. This is the domestic church, where God resides and brings us to life in the person of Jesus.
www.churchresources.info
December
30th 2012 - Feast of the Holy Family
Our True Home
Why did Jesus choose to
become a baby born of a mother and father and to spend all but His last years
living in an ordinary human family? In part, to reveal God’s plan to make all
people live as one “holy family” in His Church (see 2 Corinthians 6:16-18).
In the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, God reveals our true home. We’re to live as His children, “chosen ones, holy and beloved,” as the First Reading puts it.
In the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, God reveals our true home. We’re to live as His children, “chosen ones, holy and beloved,” as the First Reading puts it.
The family advice we
hear in today’s readings - for mothers, fathers and children - is all solid and
practical. Happy homes are the fruit of our faithfulness to the Lord, we sing
in today’s Psalm. But the Liturgy is inviting us to see more, to see how,
through our family obligations and relationships, our families become heralds
of the family of God that He wants to create on earth.
Jesus shows us this in
today’s Gospel. His obedience to His earthly parents flows directly from His
obedience to the will of His heavenly Father. Joseph and Mary aren’t identified
by name, but three times are called “his parents” and are referred to
separately as his “mother” and “father.” The emphasis is all on their
“familial” ties to Jesus. But these ties are emphasized only so that Jesus, in
the first words He speaks in Luke’s Gospel, can point us beyond that earthly
relationship to the Fatherhood of God.
In what Jesus calls “My
Father’s house,” every family finds its true meaning and purpose (seeEphesians 3:15). The Temple we read about in
the Gospel today is God’s house, His dwelling (see Luke 19:46). But it’s also an image of the
family of God, the Church (see Ephesians 2:19-22; Hebrews 3:3-6; 10:21).
In our families we’re to
build up this household, this family, this living temple of God. Until He
reveals His new dwelling among us, and says of every person: “I shall be his
God and he will be My son” (see Revelation 21:3,7).
www.salvationhistory.com
December 30
St. Egwin
(d. 717)
St. Egwin
(d. 717)
You say you’re not familiar with today’s saint? Chances are you
aren’t—unless you’re especially informed about Benedictine bishops who
established monasteries in medieval England.
Born of royal blood
in the 7th century, Egwin entered a monastery and was enthusiastically received
by royalty, clergy and the people as the bishop of Worcester, England. As a
bishop he was known as a protector of orphans and the widowed and a fair judge.
Who could argue with that?
His popularity
didn’t hold up among members of the clergy, however. They saw him as overly
strict, while he felt he was simply trying to correct abuses and impose
appropriate disciplines. Bitter resentments arose, and Egwin made his way to
Rome to present his case to Pope Constantine. The case against Egwin was
examined and annulled.
Upon his return
to England, he founded Evesham Abbey, which became one of the great Benedictine
houses of medieval England. It was dedicated to Mary, who had reportedly made
it known to Egwin just where a church should be built in her honor.
He died at the
abbey on December 30, in the year 717. Following his burial many miracles were
attributed to him: The blind could see, the deaf could hear, the sick were
healed.
www.americancatholic.org
St. Anysia
Feastday: December 30
284 - 304
Martyr of Greece. She was a wealthy
woman of Salonika, in Thessaly, who used her personal funds to aid the poor. A
soldier accosted her in the street and tried to drag her to a pagan sacrifice.
Anysia resisted and was killed when the soldier attacked her with his sword.
www.catholic.org
LECTIO: THE HOLY
FAMILY (C)
Lectio:
Sunday,
December 30, 2012
Mary and Joseph find
Jesus
Among the doctors in the Temple in Jerusalem
Luke 2: 41-52
Among the doctors in the Temple in Jerusalem
Luke 2: 41-52
1. Opening prayer
Father in heaven, you are my creator, you
welcome me through Jesus Christ your Son, you guide me by your Holy Spirit.
Enlighten my mind so that I may understand the meaning of the life you have
granted me, the plan you have for me and for those you have placed at my side.
Enkindle fire in my heart so that I may follow your revelation joyfully and
enthusiastically. Strengthen my weak will, unite it to the will of others so
that, together, we may do your will and thus build the world as one family more
and more in your image. You who lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen
2. Lectio: A reading
of Lk 2:41-52
41 Now his parents went to Jerusalem every
year at the feast of the Passover. 42 And when he was twelve years old, they
went up according to custom; 43 and when the feast was ended, as they were
returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know
it, 44 but supposing him to be in the company they went a day's journey, and
they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintances; 45 and when they did
not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking him. 46 After three days they
found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and
asking them questions; 47 and all who heard him were amazed at his
understanding and his answers. 48 And when they saw him they were astonished;
and his mother said to him, "Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your
father and I have been looking for you anxiously." 49 And he said to them,
"How is it that you sought me? Did you not know that I must be in my
Father's house?" 50 And they did not understand the saying which he spoke
to them. 51 And he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient
to them; and his mother kept all these things in her heart.
52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature, and in favour with God and man.
52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature, and in favour with God and man.
3. A time of silence
so that the Word of God may enter our hearts
and enlighten our lives.
4. Meditatio: A few
questions
to direct our meditation and practice.
Why does Luke, the Evangelist, tell us this
story in Jesus’ life? Where is the climax, the centre of the passage? There are
times when family (community) relationships become tense and difficult and
misunderstandings take place. Do we seek autonomy and independence? Who or what
becomes more important at a particular time in our life? Can we organise
hierarchically our relationships, our self-affirmation, our values, our tasks,
morality? Today, we often find “enlarged” families (multi-ethnic communities)
with re-married parents, partners, daughters and sons, sisters and brothers,
grandparents, parents of one partner and not of the other. On whom can we rely?
Can we submit to one person or just rebel?
5. A key to the
reading
We find ourselves among the so-called infancy
stories according to Luke (chap. 1-2). This is the final passage, a theological
and christological prologue rather that a historical one, where we are
presented with motifs that recur later in Luke’s catechesis: the Temple, the
journey towards Jerusalem, divine filiation, the poor, the merciful Father,
etc. Reading back, in Jesus’ childhood there already appear signs of his future
life. Mary and Joseph take Jesus to Jerusalem to take part in one of the three
pilgrimages (the Passover, Pentecost and the feast of the Tabernacles)
prescribed by the Law (Dt 16:16). During the seven days of the feast, people
took part in the cult and listened to the Rabbis who discussed beneath the
portico of the Temple. “The boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem”, the city the
Lord chose for his throne (2K 21:4-7; Jer 3:17; Zc 3:2), and where the Temple
is found (Ps 68:30; 76:3; 135:21), the only place of worship for the Jews (Jn
4:20). Jerusalem is the place where “all that was written by the prophets
concerning the Son of man will be fulfilled” (Lk 18:21), the place of “his
departure” (Lk 9:31.51; 24:18) and of his appearances after the resurrection
(Lk 24;33.36-49). His parents “sought him” anxiously and troubled
(44.45.48.49). How is it possible to lose a son, not to realise that Jesus is
not in the caravan? Is it Christ who has to follow others or vice versa? “Three
days later” the “passion” ends and they find Jesus in the Temple, among the
doctors, teaching to the amazement of all. The characteristics of his mission
begin to unfold and this mission is summarised in the first words that Jesus
speaks in Luke’s Gospel “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I
must be busy with my Father’s affairs?” But who is his father? Why seek him?
This is the same father mentioned in Jesus’ last words, in Luke, on the cross
“Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” (23:46) and at the ascension into
heaven “And now I am sending down to you what the Father has promised” (24:49).
Above all, we must seek to obey God, as Peter well understood after Pentecost
(Acts 5:29), seek the Kingdom of God and his justice (Mt 6:33), seek the Father
in prayer (Mt 7:7-8), seek Jesus (Jn 1:38) and follow him. Jesus proclaims his
dependence - “I must” – on his heavenly Father. He reveals the Father in his
immense goodness (Lk 15), but he thus creates a distance, a break, with his
family. Before all affective ties, all personal fulfilment, all affairs… comes
God’s project. “Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me.
Nevertheless, let your will be done, not mine” (Lk 22: 42). Simeon’s prophecy
(Lk 2:34) begins to happen for Mary, “but they did not understand”. His
parents’ lack of understanding is also that of his disciples concerning the
foretelling of the passion (18:34). Rebel? Submit? Walk away? Jesus “went down
with them and came to Nazareth and lived under their authority”, says Luke, and
Mary “stored up all these things in her heart”. Mary’s attitude expresses the
development of faith in a person who grows and progresses in knowledge of the
mystery. Jesus reveals that obedience to God is the essential condition for
fulfilling one’s life, for a way of sharing in the family and in community.
Obedience to the Father is what makes us brothers and sisters, teaches us to
obey each other, to listen to each other and recognise God’s plan in each
other. Such an atmosphere creates the conditions necessary to grow “in wisdom,
in stature, and in favour with God and men” and to journey together.
6. Oratio: Psalm
83 (84)
The pilgrim’s hymn
How lovely is thy dwelling place,
O Lord of hosts!
My soul longs, yea, faints for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.
Even the sparrow finds a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may lay her young, at thy altars,
O Lord of hosts, my King and my God.
O Lord of hosts!
My soul longs, yea, faints for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.
Even the sparrow finds a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may lay her young, at thy altars,
O Lord of hosts, my King and my God.
Blessed are those who dwell in thy house,
ever singing thy praise!
Blessed are the men whose strength is in thee,
in whose heart are the highways to Zion.
ever singing thy praise!
Blessed are the men whose strength is in thee,
in whose heart are the highways to Zion.
As they go through the valley of Baca
they make it a place of springs;
the early rain also covers it with pools.
They go from strength to strength;
the God of gods will be seen in Zion.
O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear,
O God of Jacob!
they make it a place of springs;
the early rain also covers it with pools.
They go from strength to strength;
the God of gods will be seen in Zion.
O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear,
O God of Jacob!
7. Contemplatio:
Closing prayer
I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
because you have revealed to me your goodness and your love. You really are the
only One who can give full meaning to my life. I love my father, but you are my
Father; I love my mother, but you are my Mother. Even if I had not known the love
of my parents, I know that you are Love, you are with me and you are waiting
for me in your eternal dwelling place prepared for me from the beginning of
creation. Grant that, together with me, the members of my family, sisters and
brothers, all those who journey in community with me, may do your will so as to
foreshadow on earth and then enjoy in heaven the wonders of your love. Amen
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