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HOMILIES ARCHIVE
HOMILIES
Dear Audience,For better understanding of the spiritual message behind this homily I kindly remind you to first read and contemplate the biblical texts before reading or listening to my preaching - a human reflection on the Word of God!
The Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph (Year A)
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0First Reading
A reading from the Book of Sirach (3:2-6, 12-14)
God sets a father in honor over His children; a mother's authority He confirmed 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.
(P) The word of the Lord.(R) Thanks be to God.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalms of David (128:1-2, 3, 4-5)
(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)
Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine in the recesses of your home; your children like olive plants around your table. (R)
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)
Second Reading
A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Colossians (3:12-21)
Brothers and sisters: As God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, put on 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.
(P) The word of the Lord.(R) Thanks be to God.
Gospel
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (2:13-15, 19-23)
When the magi had departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him." Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed for Egypt. He stayed there until the death of Herod, that what the Lord had said through the prophet might be fulfilled, out of Egypt I called my son.
When Herod had died, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child's life are dead." He rose, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go back there. And because he had been warned in a dream, he departed for the region of Galilee. He went and dwelt in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, He shall be called a Nazarean.
(P) The Gospel of the Lord.(R) Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Homily
One day after a lengthy quarrel, a wife says to her husband, "You know, I was a fool when I married you." The husband replies, "Yes, dear, but I was so much in love with you and didn't notice it at the time." Yes. I think it is important for us to overlook our own foolishness and the faults of the other person in order to prove our true love and to experience the glad tidings of Christmas - Hope, Peace, Joy, Love and Light.
A few days ago we celebrated the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. He is God but has humbled himself and become human for our sake. He has come so that all His promises to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and David may be fulfilled in all of us. He has come to live with us, teach us and even die for us. He with all His might and power could have come to us full grown and on His own. But He has chosen to come to us through a family. He blesses and sanctifies us with His presence as a member of Mary and Joseph's family. Thus He makes the family the first and most natural and important place to experience hope, peace, joy, love and light. For instance if we in our own families do not truly offer each other hope, peace, joy, love and light how can we get to experience them outside of our family? But creating such a family takes commitment and enormous effort on the part of every member of the family. Today's scriptural texts help us to understand the magnitude of our sacrifices and rewards for one another.
The first reading from the Book of Sirach is an explanation of the fourth commandment of Moses: Honour your father and your mother. The writer admonishes all children to respect, love, obey and be kind and considerate to their parents. He also lists the earthly rewards and blessings that are bestowed upon them for their faithfulness. What are the rewards? He says that their sins are forgiven; their prayers are heard; they will store up riches; their kindness will bring joy and peace to their parents and they will live a long life.
In contrast to the first reading which directs its message only to children, Saint Paul in his letter to the Colossians exhorts the whole family - husbands, wives and children to have mutual respect for one another. He urges them to show compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience toward one another as well as bear with and forgive one another. And he also calls on them to do everything in gratitude and with love in the name of the Lord Jesus and for the peace of Christ.
In the gospel we read the story of how the holy family guided by the angel of the Lord fled to Egypt in fear of King Herod who seeks to kill the Child Jesus. Even though there isn't much said about how Joseph, Mary and Jesus faced the challenges during the flight and lived as a family, the text suggests that they had very little means to survive. However, they journeyed together, were devoted to each other and felt the anxiety and needs of each other.
What is the message for us? Today marriage and family life are looked upon differently by different cultures. There are mixed faith marriages, open marriages, same sex marriages and so on. And there are nuclear families, single parent families, adoptive/foster families, same sex parents families and so on. Regardless of the types of marriage or family life, we experience so much tension concerning rights and obligations among family members. From the stories I have heard from families and my own family, my observation is that all the parties involved seem to want more freedom and less responsibility. We tend to expect more from others and sacrifice less in return. We demand more rights to be who and what we are and are less concerned about the feelings and hurts of others in relationships. We talk more about the importance of material things but are silent when it comes to family values and traditions. We fight for our rights to choose and live separate lives but fail to realize the consequences of our actions upon others in the family. We expect forgiveness, understanding, compassion and love but unwilling to offer the same to others. We ignore the conditions and hardships of the elderly in the family. The reasons for our refusal to offer love to others in the family are often lame.
Friends, today's readings maintain that obligations toward one another have primacy over our own rights. To bring hope, peace, joy, love and light into a family, one must set aside any preoccupation with self. Selfishness is the root of many problems and unhappiness in both married and family life. The feast of holy family reminds us that true Christian spirit is not so much what others in my family can do for me but rather what I can do for them and others. Mindful of the promises of God in the first reading today (Sins are forgiven. Prayers are heard. Gather riches. Bring joy and peace to everyone and live a long and happy life), let us renew our commitment to our God-given obligations as spouses, children, parents and grandparents.
(P) Amen.God Bless You!
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