The Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Year A – (episode 563)​

The Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Year A – (episode 563)

The Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Year A – (episode 563)

Homily: The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Year A - 

- Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) 3:2-6, 12-14;
- Responsorial Psalm. 127:1-5. R. Happy are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways.
- Colossians 3:12-21;
- Gospel Acclamation. Colossians 3:15, 16 (JB). Alleluia, alleluia! May the peace of Christ rule in our hearts, and the fullness of his message live within you. Alleluia!
- Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23

Stock illustration Shutterstock licensed image - ID: 586044503 – "Holy family of Jesus, Mary and St Joseph the worker."  Artistic abstract religious design. By Thoom.
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Please listen to my audio recordings of the readings, prayers and reflections for the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Year A - by clicking this link here: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/faith-hope-and-love-ep-563-the/s-B5MffqNC1D8 (episode 56) 
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Prologue:

Hello everyone, I hope you're enjoying the Christmas season. This is the octave of Christmas that we're continuing. This feast was established as part of the Christmas season in 1921 following the promotion of the devotion in the 19th century of the Holy Family.

It was linked to the octave of Christmas in 1969. The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph itself, subject to the difficulties and social pressures of its time, is offered as a model for Christian family life today. In the end, openness to God, who is at work in the lives of each of us, is the most important thing, and living and working with each other in respect and love, gentleness and mercy.

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"'The Christian family ... can and should be called a domestic church'" (2204). To see the family as the Church "in miniature," and to call the Church itself the "family of God," are ideas that have been present from the early centuries of Christianity.

... The family has a high vocation in the Church. ...because it is a "communion of persons," it is "a sign and image of the communion of the Father and the Son in the Holy Spirit." the family reflects the Father's work of creation." Moreover, the Christian family "is called to partake of the prayer and sacrifice of Christ," and it "has an evangelizing and missionary task" (2205).

The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph are a wonderful expression of the union and cooperation we are all called to as we work to build up God's kingdom,  which includes working together as one and joining as one big family in Christ. 

This weekend, let us pray that families receive every support, because this is where the faith is often first handed down and where the values of Christ can be modelled most effectively in action.  All that is good and life-giving about families is an expression of God's kingdom of unity, peace, love and mutual support.  May the Holy Family deeply inspire us to reaffirm our decision to respond to every event and surprise in our lives as a loving, compassionate family, and, like Mary and Joseph, may we be quick to respond to what God is doing in our lives.

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In many ways, today's reading and feast continue on with the Christmas message. God is truly with us in our lives and especially in the ordinary daily events of life.

It's nice that the Feast of the Holy Family follows on so closely to the celebration of Christ's birth. Christmas is a very special time for families, for treasuring the gift of our families and remembering with love those who've gone before us and have given us so much love, friendship and care. Those who have gone before us into eternal life still smile upon us from the heavenly banquet feast, which one day we will join them in.

Speaking of family, there is also the blessing of the family that is our parish community, our fellow Christian communities. And in many ways, this is the key. Being family in the parish and in the wider community is where we put into action what our Lord spent his life and ministry modelling so perfectly.

He truly included others, all others, into his family and into his priorities. This is very important. Our daily lives are truly meant to be transformed in a very real way by our Lord's message that we are to treat everyone we meet as beloved members of the Lord's family.

Our Lord, of course, was born into our world. He was also born into a human family. He too experienced the joys and the struggles of family life.

It may have been a very close family, but things were far from always being a case of happy families. Rather, the holy family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph faced all sorts of difficulties and struggles and grave dangers in their time. This includes having to flee for their very lives to Egypt as refugees in order to escape the deadly jealousy and malice of King Herod.

Herod meant to find our Lord and kill him if he did find him. His murderous jealousy was so bad he even killed many infants of the same age in an attempt to destroy the Messiah. What a horrible situation.

To our Lord, family meant so much. He had the greatest respect for his parents and he was highly critical of anyone who dared to neglect their duty to their parents under some weak excuse of religious obligation taking them elsewhere. To him, the duties of family were an expression of the mutual duty of care and love that we owe to our beloved Father of all in heaven, just as we owe them to our parents on earth.

But in another place in the gospel, our Lord makes a rather contradictory or seemingly contradictory statement about his family. When his mother and other relatives come to see him, they cannot get inside because of all the crowd. So they call for him and send a message to him to let him know that they're out there.

Our Lord replies, who is my mother? Who are my brothers? They are anyone who hears my words and keeps them. They are my brother, my sister and my mother. Mary, that first and most perfect disciple, rose to both invitations and was our Lord's mother in fact and also his mother in the discipleship of his word.

All are invited to respond to this wonderful invitation. Jesus welcomes us to be real members of his family and to be part of God's life. And at the same time, we're challenged to treat everyone around us as if they are our relatives too, for in Christ that is exactly who they are.

In fact, it's precisely because family means so very much to our Lord, in fact family means everything to our Lord, that he can make that stunning claim. He loves his family. He continues to show care and devotion to his mother Mary.

He was an obedient and attentive son to his stepfather, the humble Joseph as well. The image of God that our Lord presents to us is revealed as a loving and inclusive family. Father, Son and Spirit, three persons in one God.

A family in itself, sharing perfect union, communion and one nature as God. It is into this family, this community that our Lord invites each of us. We are welcomed and implanted into the very life of God, into God's inner nature.

We share the inner relationship of God as members of God's family. So our Lord is not narrowing the definition of family, but he is quite literally extending the definition of family to include many others and to exclude no one from the invitation. How would the world be different if all people truly and really saw each other as if they were related, as blood relations? What would it be like if people being treated as the least in this world were suddenly recognised by everyone as if they were just like their own sister, brother or mother? As I drive along in my car, I often reflect on people's values revealed by how they drive.

Who amongst us, if we were stuck behind some cautious driver, would not check their behaviour if they realised the person in the car ahead of them was their own sister or mother or brother? Would we tailgate someone to pressure them to get out of the road, to the point where they panic and almost run off the road? Would we do that to our own mother? Surely we would not sharply overtake one of our own family members, leaving them to panic at the side of the road. Would we erratically and aggressively drive towards another car until it almost crashed if it was our own sister or brother? I think not, and if it was, we are in real trouble. Our Lord is saying, in a real way, all of those people on the road and everyone we meet are really our brothers, sisters and mother and we should treat them accordingly.

So presumably when people are tempted to treat another person poorly, they can't be thinking of the people around them as if they were their own flesh and blood, brother, sister, mother, son, daughter. And the people we see on the news, almost nightly, locked in violent attacks and counter-attacks on enemies, obviously don't see each other as if they were beloved, cherished, flesh and blood, members of their own family. If they thought like this, how many conflicts could be solved humanely? Our Lord's life and ministry shows that this is not just a pipe dream, but a real world-changing attitude.

Difficulties and conflicts occur even in families, even amongst blood, but the ties of family are often an enormous motivator for finding respectful solutions, long after other connections have well and truly broken down. Our Lord was never stuck on exclusive membership of anything and so he invites us to be family members of his, along with everyone else, there's plenty of room in the family for everyone. May this profoundly affect our daily lives, may it give to the world a deeper sense of reverence and respect for the dignity of every human person, and give us peace as one family of many nations, cultures and languages.

This is what the world longs for and for which it quietly hopes.

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References:
Fr Paul W. Kelly

http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20060707_levada-valencia_en.html 

MY DAILY VISITOR REFLECTION, December 26th. Holy Family.

stock illustration Shutterstock licensed image - ID: 586044503 – "Holy family of Jesus, Mary and St Joseph the worker."  Artistic abstract religious design. By Thoom.

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The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary And Joseph. Year  A
(episode 563)

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
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{{May God's Spirit of Knowledge and reverence}}

Brothers and sisters, let us acknowledge our sins and so prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries.

Lord Jesus, you are mighty God and Prince of Peace. Lord, have mercy.

 
You are Son of God and the Son of Mary. Christ, have mercy.

You are Word made flesh, the splendour of the Father. Lord, have mercy.

May Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life. Amen.
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Memorial Acclamation

3. Save us, Saviour of the world, for by your Cross and Resurrection you have set us free.

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Nativity of the Lord II

Eucharistic Prayer II

Communion side. PWK:  LH
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{I pray that you have a wonderful and grace-filled new Year.}


Go forth, the Mass is ended.

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