Holy Family

we all wish for peace…  peace in the world, peace in our own families, peace in our own hearts……    

 

the readings today remind us that peace indicates an absence of conflict…. but peace does not promise an absence of differences….   nor an absence of misunderstanding…..    or opposing opinions……  peace implies holding contradictory or opposing forces in  harmony…..   perhaps such a definition might be more helpful when we seek the meaning of an ideal family…  or community…  or marriage……  not uniformity….  but solitudes embracing…..    a unity……   a communion of differences… enriching each other……

 

today we celebrate the feast of the holy family…..   and the first reading and the gospel make it clear that the families presented here…   very much holy.. are also far from the norm…….  they are very different from a a classic definition of a family… in the first reading Hannah, in gratitude for God’s gift to her of her only child Samuel, gives him to the temple.. to be a holy man dedicated to God’s work……   not the usual approach for a family……   in the gospel….   Jesus is God’s son, Joseph is his step father, Joseph and Mary have a unique and exceptional relationship as husband and wife that is not the norm by any means…..   yet…. their care and support for each other… their openness to God’s will in their lives and their dedication to supporting and assisting each other in their individual vocations in life is the same for every family and community….   and after all… is there really any family that can say of itself “we are normal”…  each family is unique and has its own individual characteristics, because it is made up of unique individuals.

 

In the Gospel, I don’t think Jesus was trying to be rude. His parents were desperate to find him…  He is lost in Jerusalem…..    later, he will be gone for three days again, in Jerusalem… (at his crucifixion and being lain in the tomb) and again his mother will go through an even more  awful anguish…. Jesus reaction this first time was one of confusion…   But, why were you worried…  didn’t you know that I must be about my Fathers affairs?   and of course his family don’t understand what he is saying……       Jesus realizes that ‘being about his fathers affairs’ at this stage of life means that he must go with his family Mary and Joseph and learn from their wisdom,  but also Mary realizes that she must ponder and reflect and learn from Jesus and the events of his life, the meaning of his vocation, which is unique and special.  We too must follow Mary in constantly reflecting on the meaning of Jesus’ life and what it means for the events of our lives too…..   it requires a shift of thinking and an attitude of openness and discipleship…… 

 

The holy family’s respect and openness to listen and learn from each other to support each other in the calling each person has .. is important……    we might all have plans and hopes for members of our family… but the best thing we can do, ultimately, is to listen and dialogue with them about the inner calling and vocation that each is uniquely called to live out…… and this might be a vocation or calling that is different from our hopes or expectations ……….    in the end openness to God who is at work in the lives of each of us is the most important think…..  and living and working with each other in respect and love….

 

May 2007 be a time of grace for all of us as we, with Mary, ponder the things that God is doing in our lives…

 

 

(some ideas adapted from ‘Sharing the Word through the Liturgical Year, by Gustavo Gutierrez).

 

Christmas 2006

This celebration of Christmas is very special….   for all of us… and particularly children and families and friends…..   welcome to you…..   I pray that your hearts are filled with joy and peace at this special time……

 

A friend asked me a fascinating question the other day……   which feast is more important……    Easter or Christmas…….     I mean, everyone gets born… there is no effort or virtue in that…..  but for a person to give their life to save others…. now THAT is profound…..

 

I mused on that very good question for a while…..   and, in one sense the two feasts are two sides of the same coin……    If God hadn’t become flesh and dwelt amongst us, God could not have paid the ultimate and final price to save all humanity……    also, Christ’s whole life… from his birth, (which we reverently commemorate this (evening/ morning) to death, to resurrection and ascension… all of it comprises  the seamless garment of our salvation……

 

Taking nothing away from the Great and holy season of Easter…. there is something very special, holy and  very necessary about this Feast of Christmas…….  

 

First of all, this feast, clearer than any other, makes it clear that because God became flesh…  became one of us….    sharing our human nature…..    God has made all humanity.. all creation deeply sacred…….   it is not just Spirit that is holy and graced……    the physical….   the created world… is also graced, holy, sacred and special……..    each person here…   each person we meet….    our friends, loved ones and colleagues… all are graced, sacred and special…..  and we celebrate and give thanks for that tonight….   

 

Just as Christ is the visible and human expression of God’s presence and action everywhere…..    we are invited…   solemnly requested by God’s own voice… to treat others around us as we would treat Christ himself……..  especially those most in need… most on the margins…  especially the ones we struggle the most to see signs of Christ’s light shining in their words and actions…… This is a gift of priceless value…..

 

There is another reason why Christmas is special as a counterpoint to Easter….    in this modern world..  we can be tempted to put too much store on our own actions…..   the extreme of this is to say.. its all about my choices, my actions, my response, …….    I have faith in Christ because I decided to say yes to this….    we should baptize people only when they are old enough to say yes on their own…….    the best thing Jesus did in his life is when he willingly sacrificed himself on the cross….  but no…..    its not all about us… and our own personal control and response…   because….   like this feast of Christmas reminds us…..   before our response….  God’s grace was always at work, well in advance, drawing the goodness forth……   BEFORE jesus offered his whole life for the good of the world….   his graciousness was already revealed in the expectant Mary, in the rejoicing Elizabeth…..   in the baby in the stable…..    ando so too… before a young person says YES.. to the faith their received in baptism… they are already a graced and loved member of God’s family…. God’s grace is already at work in them and in the love and faith of their family and church community….    So, Christmas is about the great feast of NOT ABOUT ME…….    the great feast of GOD AT WORK BEFORE WE EVEN THINK ABOUT OUR RESPONSE…….    its about God’s proactive action… that breaks into our world and lives and hearts and sets us on fire … and prepares us for the yes that we so willingly say to his good news…….   that’s what this feast has to offer.. and thank God for this profound gift….

 

There is a special place for the giving of gifts in this Christmas season….   since our “gift giving” is an expression of our gratefulness for God’s Greatest gift to us, by giving Jesus to the world….

 

Here is a list of some of the gifts that have been most popular this Christmas season….  because they not only Perfectly reflect the gift of Jesus, but also because these presents will not be among the ones people are lining up to return in the post Christmas sales….

 

The gift of listening….    to commit ourselves to really being present to and listening others, without interruption or planned responses.. just listening…

 

the gift of shown affection…    a hug, a kiss, a handshake..  or a note of thanks or of encouragement…

 

the gift of laughter…    a joke, an interesting article…  

 

the gift of sincere compliment….    to show we don’t take our loved ones for granted… but do appreciate them for who they are… and the kindesses they show…

 

the gift of a cheerful disposition…  

 

the gift of prayer….   praying for people we love.. who need our thoughts and prayers… they do make a difference.. and prayer changes our hearts.. and directs them outwards into action…..

these gifts and more, fill our thoughts and minds in Christmas… 

 

May the gifts we give and receive this Christmas  echo the gift of Jesus, God made flesh… and continue to enlighten our minds every day of the coming year…

 

May the Christ child fill you with every grace and blessing………      

 

Advent 4

ADVENT WEEK 4 – YEAR C 2006

 

This truly beautiful gospel passage today illustrates at least two important concepts…..  the importance of giving thanks and naming blessings…..    

 

I went and helped out at a reconciliation ceremony in Hervey Bay during the week and in the reflection time there was a parable told of a man who wrote the hurts he received in the sand… but carved all the blessings he received in rock… when he was asked why he did this he said….  it is so important to inscribe the hurts and wrongs in sand.. so that the winds of forgiveness and love can erase them after a time….    but it is so important to carve the blessings and graces in stone.. so they will serve as a constant reminder to us of all the things we are grateful for …   and time, busyness, even misfortiune and circumstance will be unable to erase those memories…. I was impressed by this story…..

 

I thought to myself…    why do I suspect that for many of us, myself included…   we might be tempted to do things the wrong way around….     writing the countless acts of kindness, love, generosity and grace on the shifting sand of our memories…. whilst carving hurts and grudges, memories of misfortunes and our own and others sins and weaknesses on stone……..    and does it help?   

 

Elizabeth is an example of a faithful disciple of God who sees the graciouness happening around her and sings out loudly in praise of God, in thanksgiving…  and names the presence of God that she has experienced in and through Mary’s visit and her own child…….    it is a truly inspiring moment….

 

the other thing that strikes me about this well-known passage is the importance of family, extended family….   and (for the many who do not have many family members, the community of support that is family to us…  our parish, our friends, our colleagues…….)….  

 

Mary must have been frightened and overcome by what she knew was happening to her…. not everyone would be happy…. not everyone would assume that the Holy Spirit was at work….  even saint Joseph when he found out that Mary was expecting was thrown into natural confusion and hurt…..    if he were not an honourable man he mght even have made a major case against his betrothed…. we are told that when he found out what was happening he planned to divorce Mary without any fuss so as not to cause what he believed was a scandal……. this was  before he found out the truth……that God was at work here……

 

Mary went to visit Elizabeth…..    not so much a cousin.. probably more an aunt…….     certainly a member of her extended family……   together, they meet and gain enormous support and comfort from each other…….. 

 

At Christmas time family reunions are not always delightful… sometimes there is conflict… sometimes family members have met up after not having seen each other for ages… and differences can become obvious..  causing tension……  

 

that can be the risk if we try to cram all our family dealings into a few days once a year, rather than trying various ways of keeping contact and discussion going throughout the year…..    but it is a challenge.

 

This weekend…   as Advent comes to a close so quickly that the weekend immediately turns around into Christmas eve….    let us take some time to carve a few things in stone…..     lets look back……   who are some of the people we need to give thanks for ….  to recall in our hearts the acts of kindness and love they have shown….   whoa re the people we have experienced Christ’s grace through their presence and action…..    let us remember and give thanks for them in our hearts, minds..,.  even our words ……

 

let us seek out people who, like Elizabeth, have grateful hearts… who focus on the positives and do not dwell on negatives, getting us more and more upset and downcast…….  

 

let us be attentive to the ways in which God is present to us, in the people with whom we live, work and socialize…….