Feast of the Holy Family
The Universal Church celebrates the first
Sunday after Christmas as the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and
Joseph. In the entrance antiphon we pray:
“The shepherds hastened to Bethlehem, where they found Mary and Joseph, and the
baby lying in a manger. Amen.” We are celebrating not only the feast
of the Holy Family of Nazareth, but also the feast of each Christian family,
our family, and all that it means to us. The readings provided for this day’s
Mass, particularly the second reading, describe the atmosphere which should
prevail in a Christian family: “You
should be clothed in sincere compassion, in kindness and humility, gentleness
and patience,” says Saint Paul, “and
may the peace of Christ reign in your hearts.” In the first reading,
from Ecclesiasticus, Ben Sira tells us that we should honour our parents. The
Gospel of Matthew highlights the importance of Joseph as the head of the family
of Nazareth with responsibility to protect the infant Child Jesus and his
mother, Mary. Let us pray for the grace of peace and harmony in our respective
families.
Mary, the Mother of God
- January 1, 2018
Before we reach Christ's birth in Luke's gospel we
are already well aware of how special Mary is. The angel Gabriel calls her
"most highly favored" and her cousin Elizabeth exclaims how she is
"most blessed". She is the one in whom the blessings spoken of by God
to Moses are to be fulfilled. Yet she has no claims to greatness. She is a
maiden betrothed to a man named Joseph in an insignificant village in the
unimportant region of Galilee. Luke traces the genealogy of Jesus through his
foster-father, Joseph. Mary herself, in her great hymn of praise on her visit
to Elizabeth, will speak of her own lowliness and marvel at how God has chosen
the weak and poor to confound the rich and powerful.
In this sense the shepherds are Mary's natural
companions. They too are looked down upon. Mary is great not through any social
connections or natural talents but because God has blessed her and chosen her. She
becomes the model for the many characters in Luke's gospel who will turn social
expectations upside down: the Good Samaritan, the woman who was a sinner,
Zacchaeus and the Prodigal Son, to name but a few. She is the one who, with the
Spirit living in her heart, is able to cry "Abba, Father". She
becomes the first of those freed from slavery, the first heir among the
children of God.
How she accepts God's blessing and choice is
important. In a phrase Luke will repeat, Mary is reported as treasuring all these
things and pondering them in her heart. She is the model of prayerful
reflection, the one who allows the Spirit to speak and inspire. The result of
her reflection is in this case transposed onto the shepherds. They go back
glorifying and praising God for all they have heard and seen. In the
Magnificat, it is Mary herself who glorifies and praises God for all he has
done.
Mary is a wonderful model for us as we begin this
New Year. I wish you every blessing, happiness and health throughout 2018. May
our parish and parishioners continue to be blessed through the intercession of
Mary, the Mother of God and our Mother too!
SKATING
PARTY – Queen of Heaven Catholic School and St
Dominic Catholic School have extended an invitation to all parishioners to join
them for a skating party on January 13th 2018 from 7pm – 8 pm at
Carmen Corbasson arena followed by refreshments back in the parish hall. I hope
to see a good turn out!!
Wishing you, your families and friends every
blessing in 2018!
Happy New Year!
Fr. Phil
