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The Holy Family- Cycle C
December 27, 2015
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Opening Prayer
First Reading: Sirach 3:2-7,12-14
Psalm: Psalm 128:1-5
Second Reading: Colossians 3:12-21
Gospel Reading: Luke 2:41-52
• The Feast of the Holy Family, which developed in the 17th century, honors the family group of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Built on the Gospel accounts, this family is looked upon as a model of ideal family life. To promote family life and build up devotion to the Holy Family, Pope Benedict XV established this feast for the Universal Church in 1921.
• This story, which we know as the Fifth Joyful Mystery of the Rosary (like many other stories found in the “infancy narrativesâ€) appears only in Luke’s Gospel. The infancy narratives end in the same location as they began, in the Jerusalem Temple (Luke 1:8).
• All male Jews ages twelve and older were required to make three pilgrimages to Jerusalem every year—at the feasts of Passover, Weeks (Pentecost), and Booths (Tabernacles). Custom excused those who lived far away from the feasts of Weeks and Booths, but not Passover. Even though only older males were under obligation, often the entire family would go, traveling in large parties or caravans (males and females with small children traveling separately until making camp at evening) for convenience, fellowship, and safety.
• This is the first time we hear about Jesus since the return of the Holy Family to Nazareth from Egypt, where they fled to escape the wrath of King Herod (Matthew 2:16-23). It is the last time we hear about him until his appearance at the Jordan to be baptized by John (Luke 3:1ff). This undocumented period of time is often called “the hidden years†of Jesus’ life.
QUESTIONS:
• What was the significance of this Feast, for which Joseph and Mary made a pilgrimage from Nazareth to Jerusalem every year (see Exodus 12; Deuteronomy 16:1-8)?
• How much does Jesus seem to know about his mission? How much do his parents know (Luke 1:26-56; Matthew 1:18—2:23)? If Jesus is God, how could he “advance in wisdom and age and in favor before God and man†(verse 52)? See CCC 472.
• Why do you think Luke included this episode in his Gospel? How did Luke know about this, and other details surrounding Jesus’ birth and childhood (see verse 51)? In this same verse, what is Jesus attitude to Mary and Joseph? How is this a reflection of the First Reading?
• What three qualities did Jesus display before the teachers in verses 46-47? What two reactions did he provoke by his actions in these two verses?
• Why do you think Jesus was “surprised†that his parents were looking for him? Where should they have looked? How have you looked for Jesus in all the wrong places?
• Has your hunger for God ever been misunderstood by your family? How? How do you maintain a healthy balance between daily responsibilities and serving God?
Closing Prayer
Catechism of the Catholic Church: §§ 531-534, 583, 503, 2599, 517, 472
I turn to you, dear parents, and implore you to imitate the Holy Family of Nazareth. -St. John Vianney
Searching for Jesus
Pastor’s Column
Christmas/Holy Family 2015
“Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I’ve been looking for you with great anxiety.” And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me?
Did you not know that I must be in my father’s house?”
from Luke 2:41-52
Mary and Joseph are searching for Jesus with great anxiety. How can it be that Mary and Joseph do not know where to look for Jesus? How could they possibly have lost him for three days? The story of how the Holy Family had to search for Jesus before finding him in the temple, (which we hear on the Sunday after Christmas), is one of the most profound in all the Scriptures. Surely Mary and Joseph went immediately to the temple when they discovered Jesus had vanished! Yet despite all their efforts, Jesus did not allow himself to be found for three days.
Mary and Joseph are quite taken aback by this behavior! They know perfectly well that Jesus has done this quite deliberately to them, hiding himself in plain sight. Mary speaks for them both when she asks him, “Why have you done this to us?!” “Why have you made us search for you like this? Don’t you know how upset you made us?” Yet this story is in the scriptures for many reasons, for the gospels are our story as well. The Holy Spirit is writing a gospel within each of us and Jesus acts in our lives much as he does with his own family. This is why understanding this gospel of the search for Jesus is so critical.
At times in our lives, the Lord can seem very near to us: life and the spiritual journey can be easy and pleasant; we may be filled with zeal; prayer often comes easily and we can hear the Holy Spirit speaking in our lives and through the Church. Soon enough, however, an inexplicable reversal will come: deep suffering may appear that we cannot escape or feel we do not deserve; our trials can seem to have no meaning or purpose; prayer is difficult, mass attendance might be a struggle; the Lord, who once seemed to be so close, now cannot be found (meaning we feel nothing); we are tempted to give up. At such times we can wonder where Jesus has gone! What do we do? We set out again in search for Jesus. And, paradoxically, this search helps us to grow in our relationship with Christ.
Periodically in our spiritual lives, Jesus will challenge us to search for him. What am I searching for in life? Jesus is the answer, but he makes us look. God hides himself amidst the daily circumstances and challenges of our lives, but we will always find him in the temple: in the temple of the Church, in the temple of our own hearts, if we just keep looking. If you think you have lost the Lord temporarily, don’t give up! He is just making you search for Jesus.
Father Gary