FEAST OF THE HOLY FAMILY. 28TH DECEMBER 2014 GET INVOLVED PLEASE Gen 15:1-6;21:1-3; Heb 11:8,11-12,17-19; Lk 2:22-40 Good morning dear friends in Christ. Once again I wish you merry Christmas. We are still in the octave of Christmas. We cannot really thank God enough for this great gift of His Son to the entire humanity. I will always remember the words of St Augustine when he says: The Son of God became the Son of man so that the sons of men will become the sons of God. The FEAST OF THE HOLY FAMILY celebration is for all of us. It is celebration that reminds us of the facticity of our origins. It reminds us that we all came from a family. Today is a day to ponder deeply on the bonds of family relationships we have, how close are we to our families, and how close are we to our children, wives and husbands. Today as we celebrate this feast it may be good to remind ourselves that the family is the oldest human institution yet no family is a perfect one. Only the family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph is our model of perfect family. Today we are reminded that the ties of our families must not be broken but maintained and nurtured even when troubles and misunderstanding seems inevitable. Today the first and the second reading speak of Faith. Apart from love, faith is the pillar on which our families should stand. In the Gospel we see the demonstration of faith of the family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. They went to the Church for thanksgiving and presentation of the new born King. Faith is a belief and dependence on God. This visit to the church today is didactic to us who have gathered here today. Today, many families are broken because of one problem or the other. Can we take a good look at the Nazareth family? Blessed Pope Paul VI advises us to learn about family from this family as a model. It is a family that stood on the pedestal of faith. The love was so pronounced such that there was understanding among all and even people looked up to them. In our families we should learn to love one another. I mean practical love as in I Cor 13. We must learn to live a life of sharing and commitment with one another. Our family life should always be renewed in prayer. It is necessary to always pray and eat together as a family. Openness in the family keeps it going. The importance of communication cannot be over emphasized since community is communication. Do not hide pieces of information from your spouse. It may constitute suspicion and it truncates trust in a relationship. I know so many families that are broken simply because of text message or a phone call. Give and spend quality time with your family so that your children will not think you are a visitor, guest, stranger, uncle or aunty. They are more important than that money you are pursuing. Remember the story of the little boy who wanted to buy an hour from his daddy’s busy schedule. Let me remind the moms and dads here that the functions or objectives of marriage are not just conjugal love and procreation; training and education of the children are part of it. Teach them about God so that they will not depart from it even when the waves of peer or societal pressures become strong. Saint John Paul II says that the family is the domestic church. Taking them to social and recreational venues is important but it is more necessary to take them to the church more often. Teach them how to be early in the Mass, teach them the importance of Adoration and visits to the Blessed Sacrament. Whatever the society becomes, it is a reflection of our individual families. St Paul in Eph 5:21-6:4 spoke extensively on the roles which each member of the family must play. Have you discovered your role? The roles are full of reciprocity. The wives should respect their husbands but the husbands must love their wives as Christ loves the Church. Note that the love of Christ is a sacrificial love; He laid down his life for the church in love. Are you ready to give up your rights for peace in your family? Are you ready to deny yourself a lot of things to make your family comfortable? I suggest Pneumatological kenosis. For all those who treat their parents with unpleasant attitudes, not showing any care or attention because they look old, remember that they are old because of you. They were once young and charming like that your wife/husband. Let us always show some love to our parents. They really went through a lot to make us who we are together. They had opportunity to abort us or kill us in infancy but they did not. Let us treat our parents with loving understanding, they are old and may not think fast as we may expect them to think. Don’t shout on them, be patient with them. Lastly, I humbly invite you to join me and return to Our Blessed Mother Mary to learn how best to live in the family. I pray especially for all families suffering from barrenness, may the Lord remember you like Sarah today in Jesus name. Like Simeon you shall not die prematurely before the fulfillment of God’s promises in your life in Jesus name. You shall live to bless the name of the Lord. May God bless us as we make our families better and livable through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Posted on: Sat, 27 Dec 2014 09:37:28 +0000