The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph
1. For Holy Families Today 2. A Family Where Children Can Grow Up
Liturgical Cycle: B | Lectionary Cycle: I
Introduction
Greeting
Our eyes are seeing the saving love
which the Lord has prepared for all to see,
a light to enlighten the nations
and the glory of his people.
This light is Jesus our Lord.
May the Lord Jesus be always with you. R/ And also with you.
Introduction by the Celebrant
• For Holy Families Today
On this Feast of the Holy Family we think of all the Christian families. Are there holy families outside the one of Nazareth? Yes, there are, each in its own unique way, if the members, parents and children, love and respect one another and let God nourish and deepen their affection; yes, if food and joy and cares are shared; yes, if clashes are resolved in a way that lets people grow together in forgiveness and understanding; yes, there are holy families where the door is open in hospitality and where the Lord himself is welcomed in people who are poor and suffering. It is the Lord himself who welcomes us here today.
• A Family Where Children Can Grow Up
In today’s celebration of the Holy Family our Christian families are given a model. In many ways the Holy Family of Nazareth was unique and impossible to imitate. Today’s scriptures stress one way in which all our families can follow them: seeking God’s will and obeying it and finding joy and happiness in it even when that will demand sacrifices. Jesus is shown as someone who, from the child he was at Christmas, grew up to full maturity and who would carry out God’s will to the very end. Like him, may we grow to maturity in our faith and our love.
Penitential Act
Let us ask the Lord to forgive us
for the times we have hurt one another
in our families and communities.
(pause)
Lord Jesus, let your servants see
the peace of your forgiveness:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Jesus Christ, you are the light of all the nations
and the salvation of the whole world:
Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, you are the glory of your people,
the sign of God’s mercy:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Have mercy on us, Lord,
reconcile us with you and with one another.
Live in our homes and communities
and lead us to everlasting life. R/ Amen.
Opening Prayer
Let us pray to our Father
to make us all one family in Christ
(pause)
God our Father,
you gave to your Son Jesus Christ
the warmth and security of a family
with Mary and Joseph at Nazareth.
Make your Son also share the life
of all our Christian families
and make your Church a community
where we learn to accept and help one another
as members of one family.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
First Reading
A Son as the Sign of the Covenant: As a sign that God would keep his covenant with Abraham, God promises him a son in his old age. Abraham believed and was given a son.
Abram’s Covenant with the Lord
After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision:
“Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; your reward will be very great!”
Abram said:
“My Lord God, where are your promises? I am still childless, and all I have will go to Eliezer of Damascus.
You have given me no children, so a slave of mine will be my heir.”
Then the word of the Lord was spoken to him again:
“Eliezer will not be your heir, but a child born of you (your own flesh and blood) will be your heir.”
Then the Lord brought him outside and said to him: “Look up at the sky and count the stars if you can. Your descendants will be like that.”
Abram believed the Lord, who, because of this, considered him a righteous man.
The Birth of Isaac
The Lord was kind to Sarah as he had said and fulfilled his promise to her.
Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time the Lord had promised.
Abraham named the son that Sarah bore him Isaac
Responsorial Psalm
R. (7a , 8a) The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
Give thanks to the LORD, invoke his name;
make known among the nations his deeds.
Sing to him, sing his praise,
proclaim all his wondrous deeds.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
Glory in his holy name;
rejoice, O hearts that seek the LORD!
Look to the LORD in his strength;
constantly seek his face.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
You descendants of Abraham, his servants,
sons of Jacob, his chosen ones!
He, the LORD, is our God;
throughout the earth his judgments prevail.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
He remembers forever his covenant
which he made binding for a thousand generations
which he entered into with Abraham
and by his oath to Isaac.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
Second Reading
The Faith of Abraham, Sarah and Isaac: Abraham, with his household, is to all of us a model of faith in God and his promises.
It was by faith that Abraham, called by God, set out for a place that would be given to him as an inheritance; for he left without knowing where he was going.
By faith, he received power of procreation, even though he was too old, and Sarah herself received power to become a mother, despite her advanced age, because she believed that the one who had made the promise would be faithful.
Therefore, from one person, and this one as good as dead, descendants as numerous as the stars of heaven and as many as the grains of sand on the seashore were born.
By faith, Abraham went to offer Isaac when God tested him. And so, he who had received God’s promise offered his only son,
although God had told him: Isaac’s descendants will bear your name.
Abraham reasoned that God is capable even of raising the dead, and he received his son back, figuratively speaking.
Alleluia Verse
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets;
in these last days, he has spoken to us through the Son.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
A Light to Enlighten the Nations: Mary and Joseph are told that the child Jesus is not theirs to keep for themselves. They must give him to all as the Savior of everyone and accept the difficulties of this mission.
When the day of purification came according to the law of Moses, they took the baby to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord,
as it is written in the law of the Lord: Every firstborn male shall be dedicated to God.
And they offered a sacrifice as instructed in the law of the Lord: a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.
There lived in Jerusalem at that time a very upright and devout man named Simeon; the Holy Spirit was in him. He looked forward to the time when the Lord would comfort Israel;
and he had been assured by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before seeing the Messiah of the Lord.
So, he was led into the temple by the Holy Spirit when the parents brought the child Jesus to do for him according to the custom of the law.
Simeon took the child in his arms and blessed God, saying:
“Now, O Lord, you can dismiss
your servant in peace,
for you have fulfilled your word
and my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples.
A light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and glory of your people Israel.”
His father and mother wondered about what was said regarding the child.
Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother:
“Know this: your son is a sign; a sign established for the falling and rising of many in Israel, a sign of contradiction;
and a sword will pierce your own soul so that out of many hearts thoughts may be revealed.”
There was also a prophetess named Anna, daughter of Phanuel, from the tribe of Asher. After leaving her father’s house, she had been married for seven years; since then, she had been continually at the temple, serving God as a widow—night and day—in fasting and prayer.
She was now eighty-four.
When that time came, she gave praise to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the deliverance of Jerusalem.
When the parents had fulfilled all that was required by the law of the Lord, they returned to their town, Nazareth in Galilee.
There, the child grew in stature and strength and was filled with wisdom: the grace of God was upon him.
Prayers of the Faithful
On this feast of the Holy Family of Nazareth, let us pray to God our Father as one family of God’s sons and daughters. Let us say: R/ Listen to your people, Lord.
– For God’s family of the Church, that it may keep defending respect for life, the call to fidelity and love, the sacredness of the marriage bond, let us pray: R/ Listen to your people, Lord.
– For mothers like Mary, with a warm heart and a spirit of service, for mothers who keep caring for their children and teaching them generosity and courage, let us pray: R/ Listen to your people, Lord.
– For fathers like Joseph: industrious, sacrificing, and serving God, for parents who prepare their children to become free and responsible adults, let us pray: R/ Listen to your people, Lord.
– For couples who live together as strangers, that they may discover one another in patience and forgiveness and mutual trust, let us pray: R/ Listen to your people, Lord.
– For children, that as they grow up they may appreciate their parents and be grateful to them; for grandparents, that children and grandchildren may help and love them in the evening of their life, let us pray: R/ Listen to your people, Lord.
– For all of us here gathered in the Eucharist, that we may share each other’s lives and concerns as one big, caring family, let us pray: R/ Listen to your people, Lord.
Lord our God, Jesus grew up in a human family. May Mary and Joseph teach us to let Jesus grow up in us, for he is our Lord for ever and ever. R/ Amen.
Prayer over the Gifts
God our Father,
you invite us to share the family table
of Jesus your Son.
May the food and drink he gives us
change us into gifts to one another,
that we may become each other’s
bread and wine, life and joy.
Let serving love and respect
be our offering to one another and to you,
today and tomorrow and every day,
on account of your Son in our midst,
Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
Introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer
Today we thank our Father for having given us the Holy Family as a model of love and service for all our homes. May our families be as responsive to God as the Holy Family was.
Introduction to the Lord's Prayer
United before God as his sons and daughters
we pray the prayer taught us
by his Son, Jesus of Nazareth. R/ Our Father...
Deliver Us
Deliver us, Lord, from every evil
and let the peace of Christ live
in our hearts and our homes.
Keep us from all that divides us
or encloses us within ourselves.
Give us compassion, gentleness, and patience,
that we may prepare in hope and joy
the full coming among us
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. R/ For the kingdom...
Invitation to Communion
This is Jesus the Lord,
who comes to unite us
as sons and daughters of the Father.
Happy are we to be invited
to the family table of the Lord. R/ Lord, I am not worthy...
Prayer after Communion
God our Father,
Jesus your Son made himself near to us
in this Eucharistic celebration.
He has been here for us,
approachable and available to all.
May he keep on living
in our homes and our communities.
Let him make us approachable
and available to one another,
even at the cost of personal discomfort
and, with Mary and Joseph,
ready for any task you may entrust to us.
For we can do everything
in the name of Jesus the Lord. R/ Amen.
Blessing
It was good to be together
as the family of God’s people
and to pray with the Holy Family of Nazareth
for what is dear to all of us:
our homes, our families,
the Christian community,
the family of our nation and people.
May God bless you all and keep you united:
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.
Go in the peace of the Lord. R/ Thanks be to God.
REFLECTIONS
Gospel: Luke 2:22-40
Commentary by Fr. Fernando Armellini (excerpt)
We are focused on the message that the sacred author aims to convey to us. Let us try to understand it. The initial message is found in the evangelist’s emphasis on Mary and Joseph’s faithfulness to the commandments of the Torah. Five times, he states that they observe these rites because the law of the Lord required it.
The first message we take for our families: the reference point of this couple who begin their life together is the Torah, the Word of God. When they have to make decisions, they are inspired by the Word of God. They are at the beginning of their life as a couple, and they show they are in tune with the choices they face. This is an important message for our families today, for our couples. At certain times, they may even have to make courageous decisions. What will be the reference point? The advice of friends? They must be taken into account, but then, in the end, what decides the choice is the Word of God. This is the first message.
The second: They offer the child to the Lord. And here, too, there is an important message for our families. When a child joins the family, it is tempting to think that the child belongs to the parents; no: the child belongs to God. It is given to the parents; it is entrusted to them to serve the purpose that God has for that child. God knows the name and the deep identity of the child, and the child is given to this couple.
What should parents do? They must offer him to the Lord, give him for the project that God has for that child; and that’s why parents should ask themselves what is it that God wants from that child, what mission is he called to carry out in the world. And parents must put themselves at the service of the Lord’s design. Only then will the life of your child be fulfilled. When they fulfil God’s dreams, not their own, in the child, the child will be really happy because he will be in his place, and educating the child in the faith is much more than teaching religious practices. It means instilling in children the design God has for them. This is the meaning of offering your child to the Lord, and each Christian couple must perform this not as a rite but offer their child to the Lord for His project.
The third message: Parents offer a pair of pigeons. The evangelist wants to emphasise this because they are a poor couple. From the beginning, Jesus is in the midst of the poor. He did not come in the condition of rulers, of the greats of this world, but in the family of the poorest.
[…]
When Mary and Joseph go to the temple, it is full of pilgrims, lots of people; there are priests, Levites and yet when the long-awaited Messiah arrives, only two people are able to recognise him. How is it that only Simeon and Anna recognise in that child the Messiah of God? I would say that is a bit what happens today. The Messiah of God continually reaches the world with His Word, with His gospel. How many are able to recognise in that Word the message from heaven, the Messiah of God who comes to save our life, to get our life out of a sinful condition, of non-realisation of what is really human and to introduce ourselves to the authentic life, to the life of freedom?
How did only those two recognise the Messiah? There are characteristics in these two persons that allow them to see what others do not. We should also do an examination of our life to see if these characteristics are fulfilled in us; these attributes that these two people have because if we do not have them we will not be able to recognize the Messiah in the Word, in the gospel, therefore, in the Messiah who is presented to us today, at every moment, we will not be able to recognize the one sent from heaven, the awaited one.
[…]
Today’s Gospel passage concludes with the return of this family to Nazareth. There is an entry that refers to the growth of Jesus. Jesus does not differ in anything from the other children of his village; he grows with them, learns with them and plays with them. There is only one detail that distinguishes him from the rest: he is full of God’s wisdom and grace. Wisdom is not learnedness; it is wisdom that teaches how to live an authentic life. From the beginning, Jesus manifests that in him there is a force that leads him to realise a life which is the perfection of the human being.
And then, the grace of God. In Greek, grace is χάρις – ‘jaris’: it is beauty. Whoever allows himself to be motivated by this Spirit that Jesus had in fullness, this divine sonship becomes a splendid person, a person who is beautiful in front of others because he is the realisation of the authentic man. Even being God, the son of Mary, has accepted the human condition in everything. Has shared all the experiences of our life since childhood.
Excerpt from the transcription of the video commentary by Fr. Fernando Armellini, SCJ, published on bibleclaret.com.
Gospel: Luke 2:22-40
Circumcision and Presentation of Jesus – Blessing of Simeon – Praise of Anna – Return to Nazareth
Jesus’ parents, faithful to their people’s traditions and to the Lord’s command, complete three rites established by the Law. Through circumcision (Lv 12:3), on the eighth day after birth, the Israelite male is welcomed into the covenant community. The presentation of the firstborn male, at forty days, is the consecration of all firstborn sons to the Lord (Ex 13:2). Finally, the purification of Mary (Lv 12:1-4). In this context, the encounter with Simeon (28-35) and Anna (36-38) is particularly striking. These two elders represent the Jewish people who hope and trust in God’s promises and who see their fulfillment in the child Jesus. He is the Savior, the light to enlighten the pagans, and the glory of the people of Israel.
Commentary on the Gospel passage from the Bible Claret online commentary.