The Holy Family is the name given to the family unit of Jesus: The Divine Son of God Jesus, his mother Mary, and his foster-father Joseph. We know very little about the life of the Holy Family through the Scriptures. They speak of the early years of the Holy Family, including the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, the flight into Egypt, and the finding of Jesus in the temple. While the exact details of the day-to-day life of the Holy Family may be unknown, we can still learn a lot from the stories we do have.  Devotion to the Holy Family grew in popularity in the 17th century, and several religious congregations have been founded under this title. The Holy Family also became portrayed in popular art of the period. On October 26, 1921 the Congregation of Rites (under Pope Benedict XV) inserted the Feast of the Holy Family into the Latin Rite general calendar. Popes before and including Benedict XV,(especially Leo XIII) promoted the feast as a way to counter the breakdown of the family unit. This Feast-day is particularly important in our own time too. Today the Church celebrates the Feast on the Sunday between Christmas and New Year's Day.

The Feast of the Holy Family is not just about the Holy Family, but about our own families too. The main purpose of the Feast is to present the Holy Family as the model for all Christian families, and for domestic life in general. The Feast of the Holy Family is a good time to remember the family unit and to pray for our human and spiritual families. We also may take this feast to reflect on the value and sanctity of the family unit, and to evaluate our own family life. What ways may it be improved? What would Jesus, Mary, and Joseph do? Finally, we can use this feast to ask ourselves what we are doing to promote the family within our own parish, cultures, neighborhoods, and communities. May God bless all of our families.  I have included this special prayer for you to pray with your own family at home.

The following prayer is the official prayer of the Missionaries of the Holy Family.  

Jesus, Son of God and Son of Mary, bless our family. Graciously inspire in us the unity, peace and mutual love that you found in your own family in the little town of Nazareth.

Mary, Mother of Jesus and our Mother, nourish our family with your faith and your love. Keep us close to your Son, Jesus, in all our sorrows and joys.

Joseph, Foster-father to Jesus, guardian and spouse of Mary, keep our family safe from harm. Help us in all times of discouragement or anxiety.

Holy Family Of Nazareth, make our family one with you. Help us to be instruments of peace. Grant that love, strengthened by grace, may prove mightier than all the weaknesses and trials through which our families  sometimes pass. May we always have God at the center of our hearts and homes until we are all one family, happy and at peace in our true home with you.    Amen.

Fr. Phil

The O Antiphons refer to the seven Antiphons that are recited, or chanted, preceding the Magnificat during Evening Prayer of the Liturgy of the Hours in the Breviary. The ‘O Antiphons’ are chanted in the verses of the famous Advent Hymn, O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.  They cover a special period of Advent preparation known as the Octave before Christmas, December 17 – 23.  Each Antiphon addresses Jesus with a unique title which comes from the prophecies of Isaiah and Micah.  The original Latin titles are: Sapientia, (O WISDOM), Adonai, (O LORD OF ISRAEL), Radix Jesse, (O ROOT OF JESSE), Clavis David, (O KEY OF DAVID), Oriens , (O RADIANT DAWN), Rex Gentium, (O KING OF ALL NATIONS), Emmanuel, (O GOD WITH US).  Notice when they are read in reverse order, the first letter of each Antiphon forms the word, Eros Cras, which, when translated means, Tomorrow I will Come, referring to the birth of Christ.  On the 24th Of December, Christmas Eve, the Church uses the prayers for the vigil of Christmas. The exact origin of these  Antiphons is not known but it is thought that they were recited in the Benedictine Monasteries in France between 480 and 524.  In the 8th Century, they were in use in Rome during liturgical celebrations. We can conclude that they have been an important part of our Advent liturgies for a long time. So the ‘O Antiphons’ not only bring intensity to our Advent celebrations and preparation, they bring the season of Advent to a joyful conclusion.  I hope that you will enjoy praying these short antiphons in anticipation of the birth of Christ. They are said directly before praying the Magnificat, Mary’s Prayer of thanksgiving.  I have included this prayer for you with the insert of fridge prayers for week three of Advent.

I hope you all have a good week!

Fr. Phil

Preparing for Christ

Since Advent is a season of hope, then perhaps this would be a good time to ask God to help us put aside any obstacles in our lives that prevent us from fully welcoming Christ in each person. The Psalmist says: Those who are sowing in tears will sing when they reap. We need to have a vision of what could be. We know that when we are looking forward to something it can help to change the present difficult situation that we live in. Hope can dramatically affect the life that we are now living. When we are around hopeful people then life is different. Isolation is a trap that we have to avoid. If we cut ourselves off from people that see differently, we may become very narrow minded and lose the ability to imagine that things could be different. Advent is a season when we are encouraged to dream and hope...to imagine what could be.

Advent – week 2 – John the Baptist

Who is John the Baptist and what is the significance of his message for our lives? In dramatic fashion Luke tells us when John came on the world scene. The world's rulers paled in reference to this son of a priest whose task was to make the way for the King who is above all other kings. John stood at a pivotal juncture in the history of God's dealing with his people. He bridged the Old and New Testaments. John was a prophet, a spokesman for God. "The word of God came to John in the wilderness." John was pre-eminently the servant of the Word, the Word of God who became flesh for our sake and for our salvation. Why was he in the wilderness? John was called from an early age to devote himself to prayer and to the word of God. God taught him in the solitude of the desert and prepared him for a prophetic ministry to turn the hearts of his people to receive their long-awaited Messiah. He is the last of the Old Testament prophets who point the way to the coming of the Messiah. He is the first of the new Testament witnesses and martyrs who suffered on account of his witness to Christ. When a king toured his kingdom, he sent his courier ahead to prepare the way. John is the courier of the Messianic King who comes to usher in the kingdom or reign of God. Isaiah had long ago prophesied the role of the Forerunner of the Messiah. John undoubtedly took this word to heart as he searched the scriptures and reflected on the word of the Lord in the wilderness. How does one prepare for the coming of the King and his heavenly kingdom? By conversion – turning our hearts and minds from sin and rebellion, indifference and skepticism, to trust and obedience to God's word. Luke's gospel emphasizes the universal call of the gospel to all peoples without distinction. He quotes from the prophet Isaiah that "all flesh shall see the salvation of God." John stood at the door of a new era of grace and salvation. He saw from a distance what Jesus the Messiah would accomplish through his death and resurrection – pardon for our sins and eternal life for all who would believe in his name.

I hope you all have a great week! 

Fr. Phil