Vol. 36 No. 7                                                                     (Cycle B)       HOLY FAMILY   Honouring one’s mother is like laying up treasure ENTRANCE ANTIPHON The shepherds hastened to Bethlehem, where they found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. PENITENTIAL RITE By our baptism we are made members of God’s family and hence we are called to experience the holiness of the Lord by our self-giving for the sake of others. As Mary and Joseph were dependent on God in faithful service to Him, let us ask ourselves how faithful we are in listening to and doing the will of God in our lives. I confess to almighty God, and to you my brothers and sisters, that I have sinned through my own fault in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done and in what I have failed to do; and I ask blessed Mary ever  Virgin, all the angels and saints, and you, my brothers  and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God. Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth. Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father, we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory. Lord, Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world: have mercy on us; you are seated at the right hand of the Father, receive our prayer. For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen. OPENING PRAYER Let us pray. Father, help us to live as the holy family, united in respect and love. Bring us to the joy and peace of your eternal home. Grant this… FIRST READING (This reading teaches us that respect, honour and concern for one’s parents please God and are sure means to bring heavenly blessings.) A reading from the Book of Ecclesiasticus (3:2-6,12-14) The Lord honoured the father above the children, and he confirmed the right of the mother over her sons. Whoever honours his father atones for sins, and whoever glorifies his mother is like one who lays up treasure. Whoever honours his father will be gladdened by his own children, and when he prays he will be heard. Whoever glorifies his father will have long life, and whoever obeys the Lord will refresh his mother. O son, help your father in his old age, and do not grieve him as long as he lives; even if he is lacking in understanding, show forbearance; in all your strength do not despise him. For kindness to a father will not be forgotten, and against your sins it will be credited to you. This is the Word of the Lord PSALM (127) Response: O blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways! O blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways! By the labour of your hands you shall eat. You will be happy and prosper. R/. Your wife like a fruitful vine in the heart of your house; your children like shoots of the olive, around your table. R/. Indeed thus shall be blessed the man who fears the Lord. May the Lord bless you from Zion all the days of your life! R/. SECOND READING (This readings describes the atmos-phere which should reign in a Christian community and in a Christian house-hold.) A reading from the Letter of St Paul to the Colossians (3:12-21) Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, and patience, forbearing one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, as you teach and admonish one another in all wisdom, and as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them. Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged. This is the Word of the Lord ACCLAMATION (Col 3:15-16) Alleluia, alleluia! May the peace of Christ reign in your hearts; let the message of Christ find a home with you. Alleluia! GOSPEL (The Gospel tells us about the presentation of the child Jesus in the temple, and gives us a glimpse of his life at Nazareth.) A reading from the Holy Gospel according to St Luke (2:22,39-40) When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. And when they had performed everything according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth. And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favour of God was upon him. This is the Gospel of the Lord (Homily) I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. PRAYER OF THE FAITHFUL Cel: Dear sisters and brothers, the holy family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph invites us to live in fear of God and in unconditional self-surrender and commitment. Let us pray that God may bless us and our families, make us holy and draw us to better and stronger relationship with one another. Response: Lord, make us children of your family. 1. For the Pope, bishops, priests and religious that they may be devout and committed to work for the realisation of the values of the Holy Family of God. R/. 2. For our families that they may grow closer to each other and their relationship be strengthened and find favour with God. R/. 3. For the broken families that they may listen to the Word of God and strive to experience peace, unity and reconciliation. R/. 4. For those who are suffering the loss of family members and those needing family healing that they may look up to the Holy Family for strength and consolation R/. Cel: Loving Father, you call us to live as your family through the power of the Holy Spirit and the sacrifice of your Son. Hear our prayers that we too may gain strength and confidence to follow your path and come to experience you as the Holy family did. We ask this … PRAYER OVER THE GIFTS Lord, accept this sacrifice and through the prayers of Mary, the virgin Mother of God, and of her husband, Joseph, unite our families in peace and love. We ask this… PREFACE (4) Father, all-powerful and ever-living God, we do well always and everywhere to give you thanks through Jesus Christ our Lord. Today you fill our hearts with joy as we recognize in Christ the revelation of your love. No eye can see his glory as our God, yet now he is seen as one like us. Christ is your Son before all ages, yet now he is born in time. He has come to lift up all things to himself, to restore unity to creation, and to lead mankind from exile into your heavenly kingdom. With all the angels of heaven we sing our joyful hymn of praise: All: Holy, holy, holy... COMMUNION ANTIPHON Our God has appeared on earth, and lived among men. PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION Eternal Father, we want to live as Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, in peace with you and one another. May this communion strengthen us to face the troubles of life. Grant this…   Liturgy & Life   For a large part of his life, Jesus was part of a family. We always imagine that this must have been an extremely comfortable and trouble-free family. Yet, like every other family, it must have had from time to time its ups and downs, its joys and sorrows, its problems and difficulties. There may have been problems about supplying the family’s needs on occasion. Surely someone fell sick at one time or another and was a source of anxiety for the rest of the family. There is no reason to think that Holy Family was spared any of the pains or denied any of the joys of ordinary families. Luke’s Gospel describes the Presenta-tion of Jesus in the Temple. Jesus, as the first-born child of his parents, was offered up in a very special way to the Lord. This was an acknowledgment that all life is a gift from God and that God is the Lord of all life. The child belonged to God and had ritually to be bought back for a small sum of money. But Jesus is no ordinary child and his arrival in the Temple is welcomed by two very holy people – Simeon and Anna. Simeon, filled with the Spirit of God, had been promised he would not die before seeing the Messiah, Israel’s long-awaited Saviour-King. With deep spiritual insight he recognises his Lord in the infant he holds in his arms. However the shadow of the Cross looms when he warns Mary that “a sword will pierce your own soul”. Yes, this family will not be spared of its problems. But these things are fully accepted as part of the family’s mission to bring light and life to the world. The old woman Anna, too, on seeing the child, breaks into praise of God. She gives her silent witness to the world’s longing for salvation, for wholeness. In this environment of love and hope, Jesus’ parents return to Nazareth with their son. There he continues to grow and mature full of God’s wisdom and God’s grace-filled love. Here the solid foundation is built for his future work. All that Jesus as a grown-up man means to us can surely be traced back to the formative years in the bosom of his two loving parents. A happy, nurturing family environment is so important. The problem is that many parents expect respect and obedience from their children without actually behaving in a way which deserves it. Parents cannot set double standards by which they feel entitled to do what their children are forbidden from doing. Parents can hardly earn respect if they are constantly fighting with each other, if they are too busy making money to spend time with their children, if they think they can buy off their children with money but have neither the ability nor the willingness to listen to what they have to say. One father had the following experience (not at all uncommon): As soon as he walked into the room, his son would walk out. When a friend encouraged trying to understand the son rather than insisting the son do what he was told, the father replied, “I already understand him. What he needs is to learn respect for his parents and to show appreciation for all we’re trying to do for him.” The friend suggested another approach: “If you want your son really to open up, you must work on the assumption that you don’t understand him and perhaps never fully will but that you want to and will try.” The father did try, he did listen unconditionally and both father and son learnt much they had not been aware of before. Ultimately, a Christian family’s agenda has to be set in the light of the Gospel’s vision of life. Jesus spent many formative years in the family in view of his mission in the world. Society exists for the family but the family also exists for society and, unless these two interdependent relationships are recog-nised, the vision of God’s Kingdom will be thwarted. Dec. 2008 – Jan. 2009 READINGS OF THE WEEK Psalter Week 1 29 Mon (W) St Thomas Becket, 1 Jn 2:3-11/ Ps 96:1-2a.2b-3.5b-6/ Lk 2:22-35 30 Tue (W) 1 Jn 2:12-17/ Ps 96:7-8a.8b-9.10/ Lk 2:36-40 31 Wed (W) St Sylvester, 1 Jn 2:18-21/ Ps 96:1-2.11-12.13/ Jn 1:1-18 01 Thu (W) MARY, MOTHER OF GOD (Sol), Nm 6:22-27/Ps 67:2-3.5.6.8/ Gal 4:4-7/ Lk 2:16-21 02 Fri (W) Ss Basil and Gregory Nazianzen (M), 1 Jn 2:22-28/ Ps 98:1.2-3ab.3cd-4/Jn 1:19-28 03 Sat (W) Bl Kuriakose Elias (M), 1 Jn 2:29–3:6/ Ps 98:1.3cd-4.5-6/ Jn 1:29-34