Holy Family - Because of the Lord. There is a set of writings by St. John Paul II known as the Redemption encyclicals. They include Redemptoris Mater (Mother of the Redeemer 25/3/987), Redemptoris Custos (Guardian of the Redeemer 15/8/1989), and Redemptoris Missio (Mission of the Redeemer 7/12/1990). These writings focus primarily, in the order given above, on Mary, Joseph and Jesus. These three make up the Holy Family. Redemptoris Custos was actually written on the centenary of another encyclical, Quamquam Pluries, written on St. Joseph by St. Leo XIII, on August 15,1889. It was Pope St. Leo XIII, who formally instituted the Holy Family as a Feast in 1893, although the Holy Family had existed in the liturgy since the seventeenth century. The feast of the Holy Family proposes the family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, as a model for Christian families. Recalling the importance and centrality of the covenant family of Abraham, Sarah and Isaac, I see the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, as a perfect choice. Why? My reasons are many, but for today, lets take the major reason - because of the presence of the Lord. Joseph was holy and just, and Mary was pure and highly favoured, but Jesus was the Lord, who made the others holy. The Holy Family, however, is not holy merely because of the presence of the Lord, but because it is headed by the Lord. The Holy Family is not composed of Joseph, Mary and Jesus, but of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. A holy family after this model would, therefore, be one in which neither the man nor the woman claims headship, but in which they resign totally to the Lord. It is even lamentable when children take laws into their hands as if they knew better than their parents about life. In the Holy Family of Nazareth, God was the centre: Mary accepted Gods Word, Joseph accepted the explanation of the angel, and as man, Jesus lived under their authority (Lk.2:51). Todays Gospel describes the Purification of Mary, on which occasion Jesus was presented in the Temple (Lk.2:22-40). Although a woman was unclean for 80days after delivering a female child, and for 40days after delivering a male, Marys virginal conception and birth of Jesus had no impurity, thus, the evangelist says often that they were fulfilling what was written in the law of the Lord. Later, Jesus, without sin to repent from, would also accept baptism from John, to fulfill all righteousness. Beholding Jesus, Simeon, the priest, prayed for death, not out of fear as in the OT, but out of fulfillment. Seeing the Lord is always a transforming experience. Simeon, who said his eyes saw salvation, blessed Jesus parents, and spoke to Mary, whose soul would be pierced with a sword while Jesus Himself would be a sign of contradiction. Anna also spoke and glorified God. Neither Mary nor Joseph spoke, only the old priest and the old prophetess did. This occasion gives us opportunity to examine the presence of the Lord in our families: Is He really with us (of course He is, but are we aware)? Who owns the real headship, the father, the mother, the children, or the Lord? Where the Lords presence is acknowledged, everything is committed to Him in prayer, and all activities are inspired by His teachings. A family without the Lord can be hungry while having food, insecure even with soldiers all around, ugly while wearing gold, lonely in the midst of friends and neighbours, sad in the midst of luxury, daft in the best schools and universities, dumb when asked to claim their blessings, confused when nothing has gone wrong, and tired of life even if lacking nothing. It is the Lord that makes life meaningful. He makes things beautiful despite all odds. With His presence, every situation suffices at the moment, and is transformable at Gods pace. May the Lord Jesus head your plans and decisions, and may everything work in your favour, especially in the year 2015.
Posted on: Sat, 27 Dec 2014 22:01:27 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015