20141228 HOLY FAMILY – A FAMILY FOR ALL
Readings
at Mass
First reading
|
Genesis
15:1-6,21:1-3 ©
|
The word of the Lord
was spoken to Abram in a vision, ‘Have no fear, Abram, I am your shield; your
reward will be very great.’
‘My
Lord,’ Abram replied ‘what do you intend to give me? I go childless...’ Then
Abram said, ‘See, you have given me no descendants; some man of my household
will be my heir.’ And then this word of the Lord was spoken to him, ‘He shall
not be your heir; your heir shall be of your own flesh and blood.’ Then taking
him outside he said, ‘Look up to heaven and count the stars if you can. Such
will be your descendants’ he told him. Abram put his faith in the Lord, who
counted this as making him justified.
The
Lord dealt kindly with Sarah as he had said, and did what he had promised. So
Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the time God had
promised. Abraham named the son born to him Isaac, the son to whom Sarah had
given birth.
Psalm
|
Psalm
104:1-6,8-9 ©
|
He, the Lord, is
our God. He remembers his covenant for ever.
Give thanks to the
Lord, tell his name,
make
known his deeds among the peoples.
O sing to him, sing
his praise;
tell all
his wonderful works!
He, the Lord, is
our God. He remembers his covenant for ever.
Be proud of his holy
name,
let the
hearts that seek the Lord rejoice.
Consider the Lord and
his strength;
constantly
seek his face.
He, the Lord, is
our God. He remembers his covenant for ever.
Remember the wonders
he has done,
his
miracles, the judgements he spoke.
O children of
Abraham, his servant,
O sons of
the Jacob he chose.
He, the Lord, is
our God. He remembers his covenant for ever.
He remembers his
covenant for ever,
his
promise for a thousand generations,
the covenant he made
with Abraham,
the oath
he swore to Isaac.
He,
the Lord, is our God. He remembers his covenant for ever.
Second reading
|
Colossians
3:12-21 ©
|
You are God’s chosen
race, his saints; he loves you, and you should be clothed in sincere
compassion, in kindness and humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with one
another; forgive each other as soon as a quarrel begins. The Lord has forgiven
you; now you must do the same. Over all these clothes, to keep them together
and complete them, put on love. And may the peace of Christ reign in your
hearts, because it is for this that you were called together as parts of one
body. Always be thankful.
Let the
message of Christ, in all its richness, find a home with you. Teach each other,
and advise each other, in all wisdom. With gratitude in your hearts sing psalms
and hymns and inspired songs to God; and never say or do anything except in the
name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Wives,
give way to your husbands, as you should in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives
and treat them with gentleness. Children, be obedient to your parents always,
because that is what will please the Lord. Parents, never drive your children
to resentment or you will make them feel frustrated.
Gospel
Acclamation
|
Heb1:1-2
|
Alleluia, alleluia!
At various times in
the past
and in various
different ways,
God spoke to our
ancestors through the prophets;
but in our own time,
the last days,
he has spoken to us
through his Son.
Alleluia!
Gospel
|
Luke 2:22-40 ©
|
When the day came for
them to be purified as laid down by the Law of Moses, the parents of Jesus took
him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord, – observing what stands
written in the Law of the Lord: Every first-born male must be consecrated to
the Lord – and also to offer in sacrifice, in accordance with what is
said in the Law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.
Now in
Jerusalem there was a man named Simeon. He was an upright and devout man; he
looked forward to Israel’s comforting and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had
been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death until he
had set eyes on the Christ of the Lord. Prompted by the Spirit he came to the
Temple and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the
Law required, he took him into his arms and blessed God; and he said:
‘Now, Master, you can
let your servant go in peace,
just as you promised;
because my eyes have
seen the salvation
which you have
prepared for all the nations to see,
a light to enlighten
the pagans
and the glory of your
people Israel.’
As the child’s father
and mother stood there wondering at the things that were being said about him,
Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, ‘You see this child: he is
destined for the fall and for the rising of many in Israel, destined to be a
sign that is rejected – and a sword will pierce your own soul too –
so that the secret thoughts of many may be laid bare.’
There was
a prophetess also, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was
well on in years. Her days of girlhood over, she had been married for seven
years before becoming a widow. She was now eighty-four years old and never left
the Temple, serving God night and day with fasting and prayer. She came by just
at that moment and began to praise God; and she spoke of the child to all who
looked forward to the deliverance of Jerusalem.
When they
had done everything the Law of the Lord required, they went back to Galilee, to
their own town of Nazareth. Meanwhile the child grew to maturity, and he was
filled with wisdom; and God’s favour was with him.
HOLY
FAMILY – A FAMILY FOR ALL
SCRIPTURE
READINGS: GEN 15:1-6,21:1-3; HEB 11:8,11-12,17-19; LUKE 2:22-40
The theme
of today’s celebration is an invitation to reflect on the vocation of the
family in today’s society. This theme has a twofold
dimension. Firstly, it means that our identity is that of the Holy
Family. Secondly, flowing from our identity is that we are called to be a
Holy Family for all. In other words, the first speaks of identity; the
second meaning speaks of the family’s mission to the Church and to
society. Identity and mission therefore are intrinsically related.
Indeed, Pope John Paul II often repeated to the families, “Family, become what
you are!”
What does it mean to be
a Holy Family? The Christian approach to the understanding of marriage and
family is from divine revelation; what creation intends for marriage and the
family. The point of departure therefore is from faith in the divine
plan of God. Only the creator can reveal to us the purpose of His
creative work and creation. This is what the first reading regarding the
promise of Abraham is all about.
What, then, is the
divine plan of God for the family? It is a call to communion. We are called to share in the
love and life of God. The Trinitarian God is a unity of persons in
communion in love and life. Consequently, we who are created in the
image and likeness of God are called to Trinitarian love, that is, love in
diversity. We are called to be in communion with each other.
Accordingly, a family is defined as a communion of persons.
He wants us to be an intimate community of life and love.
The basic communion is
the communion between the husband and the wife. Most of all, they are called to
be the sacrament of Christ in the world, the sign of Christ’s love for His
Church, a love that is faithful, indissoluble, total and fruitful to the extent
of dying for each other, and sanctifying each other in grace. Such is the
vocation of married couples, to be a sign of Christ’s love for each other and
for the world.
To ensure that communion
is real and lasting, the Church makes it clear that marriage must be faithful,
indissoluble and fruitful.
This is what divine revelation has taught us. Without fidelity in
marriage, without trust, no communion is possible. Love and
relationship requires total trust and openness of mind and heart.
Without indissolubility, there will always be the attempt to walk out of a marriage
instead of purifying it. Love needs to be purified and this entails
overcoming frictions and misunderstanding along the way. Unfortunately,
many cop out when they face difficulties. Getting into another
relationship without first healing the wounds from the previous relationship
will also end in failure. Most of all, true love is always fruitful.
It brings forth new life and desires to share the love that couples have for
each other with someone and with the rest of society. Children therefore
are always seen as precious gifts from God to us as they teach us how to love and to increase our
love for each other by loving our children.
The second level of
communion is the communion between parents and children. The task of parents is to promote unity
among the members of the family. But they cannot do it unless they
first walk the talk. The father who is the head of the family has a
special duty to ensure that the family is united in love, mutual understanding,
respect and consideration for each other’s sensitivities. Parents must
lead the way for their children in living a life of communion. They must
inspire and teach their children the importance of communion not by their words
only but most of all by their patient love, compassion, forgiveness and
encouragement.
Parental love is to be
the visible sign of God’s love for the children under their care. They are called to show the face of the
Father to their children and the compassion of the Good Shepherd. Just
like priests are called to be the face of the Heavenly Father and of Christ’s
mercy and love, so too parents are called to do the same for their
children. Do they see you as a financial controller, discipline master or
a father and friend? Necessarily, parents cannot be judgmental and act in
an authoritarian manner. It is not what we say to them but how we say
it. Children do not want to be judged because they are being judged all
the time by their friends and by society. They need to be accepted, to be
understood, to be forgiven, and be encouraged and be directed. They need
a parent who is the like Prodigal Father in the gospel, not a policeman or a
judge at home.
What does it take to be
such a family? We need to be Holy! Our model is of course the Holy
Family. They are
our teachers of family life. We need to have faith. This faith
dimension is essential. We need to strengthen the faith of our spouse and
children. This explains why the theme of faith runs through all the
scripture readings, beginning with the faith of Abraham, and especially, of
Mary, Simeon and Anna. Just as Joseph and Mary brought Jesus to the
Temple for worship, we must ensure that the family is grounded on our faith in
Christ. What kind of faith is therefore needed to build a Holy Family, a
family for all?
Firstly, we need
doctrinal faith.
Our parents and children must be instructed on the understanding of marriage
and the Christian family. We cannot presume that they know the Church’s
basis for the unity, indissolubility and fecundity of marriage. Indeed,
most of the information Catholics have with respect to marriage and family is
from the secular world’s point of view, based on human reason which is often
distorted by individualism and self-centered principles, rather than reason
inspired my faith. This explains why many young people’s views on
marriage, family and sexuality are very secular, individualistic and
materialistic. We must educate them in the true meaning of love, sexuality and
chastity as self-giving and true. Formation and ongoing education in the truths
of the teaching of the Church on family, marriage and sexuality therefore
cannot be left to chance but must be taught and interiorized by us Catholics.
Secondly, we need
existential faith.
This faith is a personal trust in the Lord, like that of Abraham. We must
surrender ourselves to the divine plan of God. Those of us who have
difficult marriages and children, this is where we need to have faith like
Abraham. We must strive to be faithful to His divine will. It is
not easy, but with the grace of God, it is not impossible. Only with
faith can we continue to forgive our spouse and be patient with each other in
our weaknesses. Only with faith, can we continue to love them when they
have been unfaithful and are so difficult to love. As couples, you are
called to sanctify each other to the extent of giving your life for each
other. This is what the marriage vow is all about. We must not
repeat the mistake of Abraham and Sarah who initially took things into their own
hands by taking the maid, Hagar, instead of waiting for the Lord to give them a
child, causing untold problems later. We must have faith in His divine
plan for us. God will see us through our problems, challenges and trials
of marriage life. But we must come to Him for grace, wisdom and
encouragement.
Indeed, the Sacrament of
Marriage is to provide you that grace to live out your married life as a couple
and as a family. For
this, we need to strengthen our relationship with God through faith in worship
and prayer. Anna is one good example. She must have felt so lonely
to be widowed at such an early period of her marriage. Instead of being
resentful towards God, she used that so called tragedy to build her
relationship with God. Consequently, if we do not strengthen our
spiritual life, especially our prayer life, love for the Word of God, as
couples and family, I cannot see how we can remain united in love, forgiving of
each other and empowering each other in faith and in love. The family
that prays together will stay together.
Thirdly, we need
performative faith,
that is, a faith that is lived out in obedience, like the case of Abraham and
Mary. We must show good examples. Indeed, we have the case of the
Holy Family to teach us. They were people of love. Mary was ready
to help Elizabeth. When Jesus was lost in the desert, Mary reacted out of
love and concern, not out of anger. We need support and
encouragement. We need witnesses of good marriage and family life.
Every family is called to be an evangelizing community of love and to be the
Good News to others. The family is to be the place where the Gospel is
taught and lived.
Indeed, at the end of the
day, to be a Holy Family is to be a Family for ALL. The family
does not stay within itself. It reaches out to the family of families,
beginning with our neighbours, the parish and to society. It is at the
service of the world like Jesus who was given to the world. Like Jesus,
we are called to be the light of the world and a witness. The family is
at the service of society and society in turn is at the service of the
family. We cannot build loving family without the Church and the
Church cannot be a loving family without good families. So family and
Church, and society, need to help each other to foster and defend the vocation
of the human being, marriage and the family.
The real problem facing
the world with regard to marriage and family today is not same-sex union, those who choose singlehood
based on selfish reasons, or even divorce, but because there is a lack of
beautiful marriages. Hence, the modern generation has become cynical of
marriage, whether solemnized in Church or state. Because they do not
last, many prefer to cohabitate. And with the breakdown in marriages,
children suffer because of a lack of parental love and holistic
upbringing. Many are wounded by their parents’ divorce and lack the
capacity to be formed in love and in truth. As a result, history will
repeat itself. Hence, Pope John Paul says, “Family, become what you are!”
Truly, the future of the New Evangelization depends on whether we can build
holistic and happy families. This is our vocation.
WRITTEN BY THE MOST REV
WILLIAM GOH
ARCHBISHOP
OF SINGAPORE
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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