Since we are travellers and pilgrims in the world, let us ever ponder on the end of the road, that is of our life, for the end of our roadway is our home (St Columban, 8th sermon).
Showing posts with label The Holy Family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Holy Family. Show all posts
GospelMatthew 2:13-15, 19-23(English Standard
Version, Anglicised)
When the Magi
had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and
said, ‘Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there
until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.’
And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt
and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfil what the Lord
had spoken by the prophet: ‘Out of Egypt I called my son.’
But when Herod
died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,
saying, ‘Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for
those who sought the child’s life are dead.’ And he rose and took the child and
his mother and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was
reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there,
and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. And he went
and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets
might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene.
St Joseph is central in the Christmas story as St Matthew tells it. His role is to be the husband of Mary. It is as such that he names Mary’s son and so becomes his legal father (Mt 1:21). It is as husband of Mary that he took the child and his mother by night and fled to Egypt. It is as husband of Mary that he took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. It was as husband of Mary that he was afraid to go there’(Judea) and risk not only his own life but theirs and took them instead to Galilee.
The major feast of St Joseph, on 19 March, honours him as ‘Husband of Mary’. I can’t help repeating that the primary vocation of a married couple is to be spouses, not parents. It is as loving spouses that they become loving parents. This was most clearly expressed for me about 20 years ago by an 11-year-old boy at a family day of Worldwide Marriage Encounter in Bacolod City, Philippines, during an activity for the pre-teens. They were asked what they loved most about their parents. He said, ‘What I love most about my parents is that they are always together’.
A wife can fail as a spouse by giving more attention to her children than to their father. Nobody questions the love of a mother. But it can be a temptation. If a husband, who has pledged his life to his wife till death do us part thinks that he is not any more the most important person in the life of his wife he may be more easily tempted to look elsewhere, with tragic consequences for the whole family.
So many married couples in the Philippines, and elsewhere, are separated by the fact that one is working overseas, sometimes both and possibly in different countries. It is vital that they have living and vibrant communication. Modern technology has made that possible in almost every part of the globe. I knew one Filipino couple where the husband was on a scholarship overseas and who talked every night using Skype. And their children had a chance to see and talk to their father as he saw and talked to them.
Music
by Franz Xaver Gruber, original lyrics in German by Joseph Mohr
Arranged
by James Burton and sung by Voces8
A note under the video says that it will be online from 8 December to 6 January. This is my 83rd Christmas and I don't think I have ever listened to a better setting and performance of this most loved of Christmas hymns.
Traditional Latin Mass
Sunday within the Octave of the Nativity
The Complete Mass in Latin and English is here. (Adjust the date at the top of that page to 12-28-2025 if necessary).
Simeon
blessed them and said to Mary his mother, ‘Behold, this child is set for
the fall and rising of many in Israel,and for a sign that is spoken against(and
a sword will pierce through your own soul also),that thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed’ (Luke 2:34-35;
Gospel).
GospelLuke 2:41-52 (English Standard Version, Anglicised)
The parents of Jesus went to Jerusalem every year at the
Feast of the Passover.And when he was twelve years old, they
went up according to custom.And when the feast was ended, as they were returning,
the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it,but supposing him to be in the group they
went a day's journey, but then they began to search for him among their
relatives and acquaintances,and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem,
searching for him.After
three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers,
listening to them and asking them questions.And all who heard him were amazed at his
understanding and his answers.And when his parents 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 searching for you in great distress.”And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be
in my Father's house?”And they
did not understand the saying that he spoke to them.And he went down with them and came to
Nazareth and was submissive to them. And his mother treasured up all these
things in her heart.
And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favour with God and
man.
Today is the Feast of The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. On 19 March the Church celebrates the Solemnity of Saint Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Today's gospel refers to Joseph and Mary as the parents of Jesus. Mary says reproachfully to her Son, Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress. To the puzzlement of both Mary and Joseph, Jesus replies, Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?
St Matthew shows clearly the role of St Joseph in the life of Jesus:an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:20-21).
Joseph's first responsibility was to be the husband of Mary and, as such, was to name her Son, thereby becoming his legal father. In some paintings of the Nativity St Joseph is a background figure, or partly hidden in the dark, but clearly protective of Jesus and Mary, and in an attitude of worship towards the Infant.
The Greek-born Doménikos Theotokópoulos, (1541 – 1614) who settled in Toledo, Spain, as a young man was known as 'El Greco', 'The Greek'. In the painting below he captures the role of St Joseph as a protective parent.
As a child I saw my parents as my father and mother. Now I remember them not only as that but as husband and wife. And sometimes I think that the Church over-emphasises the importance of the family at the expense of marriage, which is the foundation of the family. St Joseph's primary responsibility was to be the husband of Mary and, as such, to be the one known as the father of Jesus, even though Mary's Son wasn't his.
And in today's gospel Mary painfully discovers that, in a sense, he isn't hers either, as he says, Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house? At the beginning of his adolescence Jesus was, in his humanity, coming in touch with his heavenly Father's will. The mystery of Jesus being both God and Man is something we cannot fathom. St Paul says that Jesus though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped (Philippians 2:6).
But this incident shows us that Mary and Joseph as parents suffered the same pain that every parent of an adolescent goes through. They were learning that they did not 'own' Jesus, that they would have to let him go at some stage.
I recall some incidents involving my father. One was when I was no more than three, possibly only two. Like St Joseph, he was a carpenter and made a little saddle that he put on the crossbar of his bicycle on which he went to work every morning. I recall him taking me for a 'spin', probably on a Saturday afternoon, in the area where we lived at the time, I sitting joyfully on the little wooden saddle he had made. It's like a short video in my mind that captures a moment of sheer delight between father and son.
Then when I was around ten he taught me how to ride a bicycle. I borrowed that of a cousin a little older than me. Dad held the back of the saddle tightly so that I wouldn't lose balance and stayed with me patiently. Then at a certain point I realised that he wasn't holding it anymore and that I was moving forward without falling. He knew when to let go.
He taught me how to swim around that same time, with the same approach. He gave me a sense of security - but didn't cling on when I didn't need that kind of security anymore.
And when I was 18 both my parents let me go with their full blessing when I entered St Columban's, Dalgan Park, to become a missionary priest. Their faith was part of the reason I made that decision.
My parents taught me what trust was by trusting me. In Ireland the symbol of adulthood was - and maybe still is, I don't know - the key to the house. I was given the key when I was only 13. None of my friends had that privilege. On one occasion three years later when I came home very late on my bicycle from a dance my parents were waiting at the door sick with worry, as Mary and Joseph were sick with worry when they couldn’t find Jesus. Nobody on our street had a telephone and mobile phones probably weren't even in the imaginations of science-fiction writers then. But all I got was a well-deserved scolding from my parents, standing together, who still trusted me to use my key responsibly.
As I look back now, I see clearly that my parents were husband and wife first, and father and mother second. That did not mean that they saw parenthood as being of lesser importance but that they saw it as being a consequence of being married. I think they had their priorities right.
The Feast of the Holy Family reminds us that marriage is the root of the family. Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins (Matthew 1:20-21).
Featuring Alison Krauss (singer), Yo-Yo Ma (cello), Natalie MacMaster (fiddle), Shane Shanahan (percussion) and Cristina Pato (bagpipes).
As far as I know, The Wexford Carol is the only Irish Christmas carol that is widely known and performed internationally. None of the performers in the video are Irish.
Traditional Latin Mass
Sunday within the Octave of Christmas
The Complete Mass in Latin and English is here. (Adjust the date at the top of that page to 12-29-2024 if necessary).
GospelLuke 2:22-40 [or 22, 39-40] (English Standard Version Anglicised: India)
And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they [the parents of Jesus] brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord [(as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”)and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtle-doves, or two young pigeons”.Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ.And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law,he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,
“Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word;
for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.”
And his father and his mother marvelled at what was said about him. And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”
And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshipping with fasting and prayer night and day. And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.]
And when they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favour of God was upon him.
My late father visited me in the Philippines for six weeks in 1981, arriving on 16 February, one day before St John Paul II made his first visit as Pope. My Dad spent most of the time with me in a small seminary for diocesan seminarians that I was in charge of for two years in Tangub City, Misamis Occidental. Before that I had spent less than three months as parish priest of Tangub, the last Columban priest to hold that position.
One evening a family invited my father and myself to visit their home. We went with some other parishioners. When we were walking home slowly someone commented that my father and I were walking in exactly the same way, with our hands behind our backs. I had never been conscious of that before. I recalled Sunday mornings when I was a child when my father would take my brother and myself for a walk in the Phoenix Park, the largest enclosed park in any capital city in Europe, which was about ten minutes' walk from where we lived. Our walks in the Park were usually more of an amble or a mosey rather than the determined 'keep fit' type of walk that so many engage in today.
But my friend's comment in Tangub City made me realise that I had unconsciously picked up this kind of ambling from my Dad.
I learned a lot more from him without being aware of it. When my brother Paddy, who is three years younger than me, was very young Dad would take me to Sunday Mass while Mam stayed at home with the baby and went to a later Mass. I gradually became aware that my father went to an early Mass every day of his working life before going to work on construction sites. (Like St Joseph he was a carpenter and was named John Joseph.) I noticed that after Mass he prepared my mother's breakfast, bringing it to her in bed, and I often saw him during winter cleaning the fireplace, taking away the ashes from the previous day's fire, and preparing it for the fire that would be lit later in the day. All of this before going to work.
I saw how he deeply respected my mother, and everyone else he met, most especially the men who worked under him on construction sites. I worked with him on one of those during the summer of 1967 when I was a subdeacon. I was ordained the following December. I saw at first hand what I already knew. He never swore, never raised his voice, was a real mentor to young workers, and led by example. He was a quiet man, with a sense of responsibility that he carried lightly and a gentle sense of humour.
In a number of places Pope Benedict XVI reminds us that St Joseph is the legal father of Jesus: Therefore let us venerate the legal father of Jesus (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 532), because the new man is outlined in him, who looks with trust and courage to the future. He does not follow his own plans but entrusts himself without reserve to the infinite mercy of the One who will fulfil the prophecies and open the time of salvation. This is because he named Jesus, as the angel had instructed him in Matthew 1:21 - She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. On 19 March the Church celebrates the Solemnity of Saint Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Today's gospel refers to Joseph and Mary as his father and mother. Jesus in his humanity learned from St Joseph how to behave as a boy and as an adolescent. He learned the trade of a carpenter from St Joseph. Most likely he walked like St Joseph. And we can be sure that St Joseph took him to the synagogue on the sabbath. In today's gospel St Joseph and Mary take the infant Jesus to the Temple to present him to the Lord. They took him again to the Temple when he was twelve. These two events are marked in the fourth and fifth Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary.
It was Joseph as husband of Mary who led the pregnant Mary to Bethlehem as shown in Pieter Bruegel the Elder's painting above, The Census at Bethlehem. The artist shows the Holy Family coming into a 16th-century Netherlands village in the depths of winter, nobody noticing them. This shows on the one hand that He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him (John 1:10-11). It shows on the other hand that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14). God who became Man threw in his lot with us. He came into our townland, our village, our town, our city.The villagers in Bruegel's painting haven't rejected Jesus but they haven't yet recognised him.
St Joseph is central to all of this. He exemplifies the vocation of the husband and its consequence for most husbands, the vocation of the father, to an extent that no one else has done. He was the man whom Mary honoured as her husband and whom Jesus called Abba/Dad / Papa / Tatay.
Dad
Taken a
week before his sudden death on 11 August 1987
Traditional Latin Mass
Sunday Within the Octave of the Nativity of Our Lord
The complete Mass in Latin and English is here. (Adjust the date at the top of that page to 12-31-2023, if necessary).
Gospel Luke 2:16-21 (English Standard Version Anglicised: India)
The shepherds went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger.And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child.And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
