THE LITURGY OF THE WORD
Readings: Year C
1 Samuel 1:20-22, 24-28
Psalm blessed are those who dwell in your house O lord
1 John 3:1-2, 21-24
Luke 2:41-52
(Image Credit: Shutterstock Licensed. Item ID:505470880 -
Christmas religious nativity scene, Holy family abstract watercolour illustration Mary Joseph and Jesus in the starry night Contributor- Thoom )
++++
Please listen to my audio recordings of the readings, prayers and reflections for the the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary And Joseph. Year C - Sunday, 25-26 December 2021 by clicking this link here:
https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/faith-hope-and-love-solemnity-of-the-holy-family-year-c-episode-341/s-P767sZgmbcK?si=16a371a8c8c64770ac84e372dfcc6fa8&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing
(Episode: 341)
+++++
I came across a wonderful poem on the Birth of Christ and the Holy Family, by British poet Godfrey Rust. It is called: Midnight in Bethlehem, Zero AD.
"...... No room at the inn. No room anywhere.
They gave him the only place they could spare and the promised Messiah was born that night
on the floor of a stable without any light ….
and while Mary slept there, exhausted and cold, Joseph sat by feeling helpless and old.
This wasn't the way he had thought it would be
when the angel had told him that destiny chose them to look after the Holy One.
No, this was a farce. What God had done was to trust the care of the Saviour instead
to a man who could not even find him a bed.
If only he'd planned it more carefully then.
If he only could go back and do it again.
....... when the shepherds burst in all breathless and wild
and stopped in their tracks when they saw the child.
They shifted their gaze from the baby's bed and their eyes met his, and he nodded his head,
standing awkwardly, not knowing quite what to do now they all knew for certain the story was true.
They stayed there for minutes. It might have been years.
Not one of them spoke. Their hopes and their fears;... were gathered around this helpless God
as their minds tried to grasp what it meant.
Where he stood Joseph was silent as finally he saw this was how it was planned to be,
that the smell and the dark and the dirt and the pain were not Joseph's mistake but God's choice once again: past midnight in Bethlehem, Joseph knew that men would be saved despite all they might do.
He could not control it. He did not understand.
He felt like a baby himself in God's hand.
He remembered the angel had said that his name would be Jesus, God saves."
It is a beautiful picture of the confusion, chaos and uncertainty that occurs in times of crisis, which would be familiar in any family. And it's a reminder that God is at work even in the messiness of thwarted plans and unexpected situations. The helplessness felt by Joseph is reassuring to all of us when things aren't going so well. We all pray for peace: peace in the world, peace in our own families, peace in our own hearts. As with every worthy desire, the holding of an idea is often easier than putting it into practice.
The readings today remind us that peace indicates an absence of conflict, but peace does NOT promise an absence of differences. True peace does not necessarily indicate an absence of misunderstanding, nor does it deny opposing opinions. True 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 community" or an "ideal marriage" and so on. We do not really mean uniformity, but rather, "two solitude's embracing," or unity, (a communion of differences that enrich others).
Joseph and Mary have care and support for each other, their openness to God's will in their lives, and their dedication to supporting and assisting each other, as a family unit, and in their individual vocations in life is an inspiration for us all, and a wonderful model for every family and community. Is there really any family that can say of itself "we are perfectly average"? Each family is unique and has its own individual characteristics because it is made up of unique individuals.
In the gospel - Jesus is already wise beyond his years.... he is a smart kid and he quickly realises that 'being about his father's affairs' at this stage of his life means that he must go back with his family and respect and learn from his mother Mary and his step-father Joseph and grow as he learns from their wisdom and guidance.
Mary realises that she must ponder and reflect and learn from Jesus and the events of his life, and prayerfully contemplate 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 contemplating deeply and prayerfully on what Christ's life and actions mean for the events of our lives too. We must be brave. We must be open. We must be ready to have regular shifts 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 search for and 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 thing, and living and working with each other in respect and love.
It is astounding that 2021 is now coming to a rapid close! Can you believe that it will soon be 2022? I pray that this new year will be a time of grace for all of us as we, with Mary, ponder and treasure the things that God is doing in our lives. And May God grant us peace in our hearts and lives and give us open, prayerful and grateful hearts.
++++
Fr Peter Dillon – homily
Feast of the Holy Family - Year C - 2021
The Church has chosen the first Sunday after Christmas to celebrate the feast of the Holy Family. This is a time of year when our focus is on that community who love us even though they mightn't like us all the time, our family, in all its complexity and wonder. We've probably celebrated with some of them around a meal table over the past few days and shared our deepest feeling for them, with the occasional argument thrown in. It is what families do because they feel safe with each other. At least that is the intention. For those who attended Church over Christmas, we have heard yet again the story of a family that overcame adversity to accept an enormous responsibility, of being the parent of the saviour of the world, without really knowing what it all might mean.
We can sometimes do a great disservice to the family of Jesus nativity if we forget that they too knew uncertainty and fragility. Where was their safety and security, where was their comfort at the very time when great care needs to be taken with the mother and child? The Holy Family at Bethlehem, reflects our own families, making contact again by looking more at our similarities than our differences.
We could miss out on some of the richness of today's feast day if we assumed that the life of Mary, Joseph and Jesus was perfect, stress-free and idyllic. We over-romanticize the picture of Joseph lovingly teaching Jesus the carpenter's trade, or Mary teaching Jesus how to pray. Certainly, Jesus was born into a loving family, but it was a real community of people with all the inevitable conflicts and tensions and misunderstandings and hurt.
'Why have you done this to me and your father?' Mary rightly asks. His response seems to have about it all the offhand indifference of the self-centred adolescent: He replies, 'I must be busy about my Father's business' which comes close to sounding like "None of your business." By denying Joseph the title of Father, Jesus is beginning to own and assert his identity. His awareness of his identity as the Son of God is something he has not yet come to understand, he has not yet learned how to use his youthful experience compassionately.
Of course, when children grow up they have a way of branching out on their own. They want to be more than inheritors of tradition. They want to make their own mark. Sometimes parents can feel utterly bewildered and hurt by the direction their children take in life. In today's Gospel story Mary and Joseph became painfully aware that their son was not born to be a miniature reflection of themselves.
Luke tells us that Mary and Joseph did not understand what Jesus was talking about when they eventually found him. They did not comprehend the conflict that might arise from our two loyalties to God and family. The reality of that conflict will emerge only later in his ministry; here it is foreshadowed, and Luke softens the scene when he says that Jesus lives under the authority of Mary and Joseph and grows in wisdom and stature.
Later in life, Jesus begins to formulate his own values and preach his own vision, and he often comes into conflict with his own religious tradition.
Even though Jesus seems insensitive about his parents' feelings, he is nevertheless providing a sharp check against any over-possessiveness. His more important task is to do the will of his Father. Despite the great value we Christians place on family life, we cannot make a god of it, thinking that the family is the only thing that matters. Family is not separate from our relationship with God and for us to fully appreciate its wonder, we must include God in it. We can become self-enclosed and self-engrossed as a family or community or parish that we fail to be aware of wider issues, of the will of God, the demands of justice, the needs of others. We can lose a sense of belonging to a wider family, the family of God, the human family. We can treat our families as if they were sects: we look after our own, never mind the rest of the world. And we can view our own particular religious family, our Church, with the same kind of sectarian exclusivity. Christ will not allow us to love only our own, to be concerned only about our own inner circle of those we know well and feel comfortable with.
Today provides an opportunity to reflect on our families and our relationships with other members, with our wives or husbands, mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters. What contribution are we, as Christians, making to build a better society through building a better family? What do we see as our responsibilities towards each other member of our family? How can we follow more closely the example of the Holy Family of Nazareth?
+++++++
References:
Prologue - Fr Paul W. Kelly
Homily - Fr Peter Dillon
Some ideas adapted from 'Sharing the Word through the Liturgical Year, by Gustavo Gutierrez.
Joseph and the shepherds. Written for the carol service at St John's, West Ealing in 1989. Of course it is fairly certain that Jesus wasn't born in 0 AD (more likely sometime between 5BC and 2BC), and 0 AD doesn't actually exist as the calendar goes from 1 BC to 1 AD, and these days it's correct to call them 1 BCE and 1 CE, but hey, it's a poem. © Godfrey Rust,godfrey@wordsout.co.uk . See here for details of permissions for use.
Image Credit: Shutterstock Licensed. Item ID:505470880 -
Christmas religious nativity scene, Holy family abstract watercolour illustration Mary Joseph and Jesus in the starry night Contributor- Thoom
++++++++
The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary And Joseph. Year C
(Sunday) (Episode: 341)
"How happy they who dwell in your house, O Lord."
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (or/ The Lord be with You)
+++++++++++++
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.
+++++++++++++++++++++
Memorial Acclamation
Save us, Saviour of the world, for by your Cross and Resurrection you have set us free.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Nativity of the Lord II
Euch Prayer II
Communion side. pwk: RH
++++
Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord.
Archive of homilies and reflections: http://homilycatholic.blogspot.com.au
To contact Fr. Paul, please email: paulwkelly68@gmail.com
To listen to my weekly homily audio podcast, please click this link here.
NB - It is often a week or so Ahead: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/tracks
You are welcome to subscribe to Fr Paul's homily mail-out by sending an email to this address: paulkellyreflections+subscribe@googlegroups.com
Further information relating to the audio productions linked to this Blog:
"Faith, Hope and Love - Christian worship and reflection" - Led by Rev Paul Kelly
Roman Missal, 3rd edition, 2010, (ICEL)
Scriptures - New Revised Standard Version: © 1989, and 2009 by the NCC-USA.
"The Psalms" by The Grail - 1963, 2009.
Prayers of the Faithful - Robert Borg "Together we pray" - (1993).
St. Ralph Sherwin Gloria - written and sung By Jeffrey M. Ostrowski. 2011 ccwatershed.org.
Christmas Hymn - "Word Made Flesh" by Paul W. Kelly. Based upon: John's Gospel 1:14; 1 John 4:9; & Isaiah 9:2, 6, 7. (Written on 8/5/20; 10/9/20). Arranged and sung by Stefan Kelk, with adjusted lyrics. 2020. https://www.airgigs.com/user/stefankelk
Traditional hymns: performed by the Bobby Cole Chamber Choir, licensed via Shockwave-Sound.com (https://www.shockwave-sound.com)
[Production - KER - 2021]
May God bless and keep you.
