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Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 12-30-16, FEAST, The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph
USCCB.org/RNAB ^ | 12-30-16 | Revised New American Bible

Posted on 12/29/2016 7:49:52 PM PST by Salvation

December 30, 2016

The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph

When a Sunday does not occur between December 25 and January 1, this feast is celebrated on December 30 with only one reading before the Gospel.

Reading 1 Sir 3:2-6, 12-14

God sets a father in honor over his children;
a mother’s authority he confirms over her sons.
Whoever honors his father atones for sins,
and preserves himself from them.
When he prays, he is heard;
he stores up riches who reveres his mother.
Whoever honors his father is gladdened by children,
and, when he prays, is heard.
Whoever reveres his father will live a long life;
he who obeys his father brings comfort to his mother.

My son, take care of your father when he is old;
grieve him not as long as he lives.
Even if his mind fail, be considerate of him;
revile him not all the days of his life;
kindness to a father will not be forgotten,
firmly planted against the debt of your sins
—a house raised in justice to you.

Or Col 3:12-21

Brothers and sisters:
Put on, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved,
heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience,
bearing with one another and forgiving one another,
if one has a grievance against another;
as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do.
And over all these put on love,
that is, the bond of perfection.
And let the peace of Christ control your hearts,
the peace into which you were also called in one body.
And be thankful.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly,
as in all wisdom you teach and admonish one another,
singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs
with gratitude in your hearts to God.
And whatever you do, in word or in deed,
do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Wives, be subordinate to your husbands,
as is proper in the Lord.
Husbands, love your wives,
and avoid any bitterness toward them.
Children, obey your parents in everything,
for this is pleasing to the Lord.
Fathers, do not provoke your children,
so they may not become discouraged.

Or Col 3:12-17

Brothers and sisters:
Put on, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved,
heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience,
bearing with one another and forgiving one another,
if one has a grievance against another;
as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do.
And over all these put on love,
that is, the bond of perfection.
And let the peace of Christ control your hearts,
the peace into which you were also called in one body.
And be thankful.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly,
as in all wisdom you teach and admonish one another,
singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs
with gratitude in your hearts to God.
And whatever you do, in word or in deed,
do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 128:1-2, 3, 4-5

R. (cf. 1) Blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways.
Blessed is everyone who fears the LORD,
who walks in his ways!
For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork;
blessed shall you be, and favored.
R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways.
Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine
in the recesses of your home;
your children like olive plants
around your table.
R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways.
Behold, thus is the man blessed
who fears the LORD.
The LORD bless you from Zion:
may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life.
R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways.

Alleluia Col 3:15a, 16a

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Let the peace of Christ control your hearts;
let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Mt 2:13-15, 19-23

When the magi had departed, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said,
“Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt,
and stay there until I tell you.
Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him.”
Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night
and departed for Egypt.
He stayed there until the death of Herod,
that what the Lord had said through the prophet might be fulfilled,
Out of Egypt I called my son.

When Herod had died, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared in a dream
to Joseph in Egypt and said,
“Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel,
for those who sought the child’s life are dead.”
He rose, took the child and his mother,
and went to the land of Israel.
But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea
in place of his father Herod,
he was afraid to go back there.
And because he had been warned in a dream,
he departed for the region of Galilee.
He went and dwelt in a town called Nazareth,
so that what had been spoken through the prophets
might be fulfilled,
He shall be called a Nazorean.


TOPICS: Catholic; General Discusssion; Prayer; Worship
KEYWORDS: catholic; christmas; holyfamily; jesus; jesusmaryjoseph; joseph; mary; mt2; prayer; saints; theholyfamily
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Daily Gospel Commentary

The Holy Family - Feast
Commentary of the day
John Tauler (c.1300-1361), Dominican
Sermon 2, for the Eve of Epiphany

“Rise… for those who sought the child’s life are dead”

When Joseph was in exile with the child and his mother, he learnt from the angel while he was asleep that Herod was dead. But when he heard that his son, Archelaus, was reigning in that country, he nonetheless continued to be in great fear lest the child be killed. Herod, the one who pursued the child and wanted to kill him, represents the world which clearly kills off the child, the world that we must by all means flee if we want to save the child. Yet no sooner have we fled the world exteriorly… than Archelaus rises up and reigns: there is still a world within you, a world over which you will not triumph without a great deal of effort and by God’s help.

For there are three strong and bitter enemies that you have to overcome in you and it is with difficulty that we ever win the victory. You will be attacked by spiritual pride: you would like to be seen, taken note of, listened to… The second enemy is your own flesh, assailing you through bodily and spiritual impurity… The third enemy is the one that attacks by arousing malice in you, bitter thoughts, suspiciousness, ill will, hatred and the desire for revenge… Would you become ever more dear to God? You must completely forsake all such behaviour, for all this is the wicked Archelaus in person. Fear and be on your guard; he wants to kill the child indeed…

Joseph was warned by the angel and called back to the land of Israel. Israel means “land of vision”; Egypt means “darkness”… It is in sleep, it is only in genuine abandonment and true passivity that you will receive the invitation to come away, just as happened to Joseph… Then you can make your way back to Galilee, which means “way”. Here one is above all things; all has been passed through and one arrives at Nazareth, the “true flowering”, the country where the flowers of eternal life blossom. There one is sure of finding an authentic foretaste of eternal life; there is complete security, inexpressible peace, joy and rest. Only those who have abandoned themselves reach there, those who submit themselves to God until he has detached them and who make no attempt to free themselves by force. These are they who reach this peace, this flowering at Nazareth, and who there find those things that make for their eternal joy. May this be the lot of all of us. And may God, who is all worthy of love, be our helper!

21 posted on 12/29/2016 8:53:32 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
'It is one of the most firmly established and most consoling of the truths that have been revealed to us that (apart from sin) nothing happens to us in life unless God wills it so. Wealth and poverty alike come from Him. If we fall ill, God is the cause of our illness; if we get well, our recovery is due to God. We owe our lives entirely to Him, and when death comes to put an end to life, His will be the hand that deals the blow.'

St. Claude de la Colombiere

22 posted on 12/29/2016 8:55:48 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All



The Angelus 

The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary: 
And she conceived of the Holy Spirit. 

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of
our death. Amen. 

Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word. 

Hail Mary . . . 

And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us. 

Hail Mary . . . 


Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. 

Let us pray: 

Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord.

Amen. 


"Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you" (Lk 1:28) 

 "Blessed are you among women,
 and blessed is the fruit of your womb"
(Lk 1:42). 


23 posted on 12/29/2016 8:56:37 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: Salvation
Matthew
  English: Douay-Rheims Latin: Vulgata Clementina Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
  Matthew 2
13 And after they were departed, behold an angel of the Lord appeared in sleep to Joseph, saying: Arise, and take the child and his mother, and fly into Egypt: and be there until I shall tell thee. For it will come to pass that Herod will seek the child to destroy him. Qui cum recessissent, ecce angelus Domini apparuit in somnis Joseph, dicens : Surge, et accipe puerum, et matrem ejus, et fuge in Ægyptum, et esto ibi usque dum dicam tibi. Futurum est enim ut Herodes quærat puerum ad perdendum eum. αναχωρησαντων δε αυτων ιδου αγγελος κυριου φαινεται κατ οναρ τω ιωσηφ λεγων εγερθεις παραλαβε το παιδιον και την μητερα αυτου και φευγε εις αιγυπτον και ισθι εκει εως αν ειπω σοι μελλει γαρ ηρωδης ζητειν το παιδιον του απολεσαι αυτο
14 Who arose, and took the child and his mother by night, and retired into Egypt: and he was there until the death of Herod: Qui consurgens accepit puerum et matrem ejus nocte, et secessit in Ægyptum : ο δε εγερθεις παρελαβεν το παιδιον και την μητερα αυτου νυκτος και ανεχωρησεν εις αιγυπτον
15 That it might be fulfilled which the Lord spoke by the prophet, saying: Out of Egypt have I called my son. et erat ibi usque ad obitum Herodis : ut adimpleretur quod dictum est a Domino per prophetam dicentem : Ex Ægypto vocavi filium meum. και ην εκει εως της τελευτης ηρωδου ινα πληρωθη το ρηθεν υπο του κυριου δια του προφητου λεγοντος εξ αιγυπτου εκαλεσα τον υιον μου
[...]
19 But when Herod was dead, behold an angel of the Lord appeared in sleep to Joseph in Egypt, Defuncto autem Herode, ecce angelus Domini apparuit in somnis Joseph in Ægypto, τελευτησαντος δε του ηρωδου ιδου αγγελος κυριου κατ οναρ φαινεται τω ιωσηφ εν αιγυπτω
20 Saying: Arise, and take the child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel. For they are dead that sought the life of the child. dicens : Surge, et accipe puerum, et matrem ejus, et vade in terram Israël : defuncti sunt enim qui quærebant animam pueri. λεγων εγερθεις παραλαβε το παιδιον και την μητερα αυτου και πορευου εις γην ισραηλ τεθνηκασιν γαρ οι ζητουντες την ψυχην του παιδιου
21 Who arose, and took the child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel. Qui consurgens, accepit puerum, et matrem ejus, et venit in terram Israël. ο δε εγερθεις παρελαβεν το παιδιον και την μητερα αυτου και ηλθεν εις γην ισραηλ
22 But hearing that Archelaus reigned in Judea in the room of Herod his father, he was afraid to go thither: and being warned in sleep retired into the quarters of Galilee. Audiens autem quod Archelaus regnaret in Judæa pro Herode patre suo, timuit illo ire : et admonitus in somnis, secessit in partes Galilææ. ακουσας δε οτι αρχελαος βασιλευει επι της ιουδαιας αντι ηρωδου του πατρος αυτου εφοβηθη εκει απελθειν χρηματισθεις δε κατ οναρ ανεχωρησεν εις τα μερη της γαλιλαιας
23 And coming he dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was said by prophets: That he shall be called a Nazarene. Et veniens habitavit in civitate quæ vocatur Nazareth : ut adimpleretur quod dictum est per prophetas : Quoniam Nazaræus vocabitur. και ελθων κατωκησεν εις πολιν λεγομενην ναζαρετ οπως πληρωθη το ρηθεν δια των προφητων οτι ναζωραιος κληθησεται

24 posted on 12/30/2016 4:24:10 AM PST by annalex (fear them not)
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To: annalex
13. And after they were departed, behold an angel of the Lord appeared in sleep to Joseph, saying: Arise, and take the child and his mother, and fly into Egypt: and be there until I shall tell thee. For it will come to pass that Herod will seek the child to destroy him.
14. When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night, and departed into Egypt
15. And was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my Son.

RABANUS. Here Matthew omits the clay of purification when the first-born must be presented in the Temple with a lamb or a pair of turtle doves or pigeons. Their fear of Herod did not make them bold to transgress the Law, that they should not present the Child in the temple. As soon then as the rumor concerning the Child begins to be spread abroad, the Angel is sent to bid Joseph carry Him into Egypt.

REMIG. By this that the Angel appears always to Joseph in sleep, is mystically signified that they who rest from mundane cares and secular pursuits, deserve angelic visitations.

HILARY; The first time when he would teach Joseph that she was lawfully espoused, the Angel called the Virgin his espoused

wife; but after the birth she is only spoken of as the Mother of Jesus. As wedlock was rightfully imputed to her in her virginity, so virginity is esteemed venerable in her as the mother of Jesus.

PSEUDO-CHRYS. He says not, 'the Mother and her young Child'; but, the young Child and His mother; for the Child was not born for the mother, but the mother prepared for the Child. How is this that the Son of God flies from the face of man? or who shall deliver from the enemy's hand, if He Himself fears His enemies? First, He ought to observe, even in this, the law of that human nature which He took on Him; and human nature and infancy must flee before threatening power. Next, that Christians when persecution makes it necessary should not be ashamed to fly. But why into Egypt? The Lord, who keeps not His anger forever, remembered time woes He had brought upon Egypt, and therefore sent His Son there, and gives it this sign of great reconciliation, that with this one remedy He might heal the ten plagues of Egypt, and the nation that had been the persecutor of this first-born people, might be the guardian of His first-born Son. As formerly they had cruelly tyrannized, now they might devoutly serve; nor go to the Red Sea to be drowned, but be called to the waters of baptism to receive life.

AUG. Hear the sacrament of a great mystery. Moses before had shut up the light of day from the traitors the Egyptians; Christ by going down thither brought back light to them that sat in darkness. He fled that He might enlighten them, not that he might escape his foes.

ID. The miserable tyrant supposed that by the Savior's coming he should be thrust from his royal throne. But it was not so; Christ came not to hurt others dignity, but to bestow His own on others.

HILARY; Egypt full of idols; for after this inquiry for Him among the Jews, Christ leaving Judea goes to be cherished among nations given to the vainest superstitions.

JEROME; When he takes the Child and His mother to go into Egypt, it is in the night and darkness, when to return into Judea, the Gospel speaks of no light, no darkness.

PSEUDO-CHRYS. The straightness of every persecution may be called night - relief from it in like manner, day.

RABANUS; For when the true light withdraws, they who hate the light are in darkness; when it returns they are again enlightened.

CHRYS. See how immediately on His birth the tyrant is furious against Him, and the mother with her Child is driven into foreign lands. So should you in the beginning of your spiritual career seem to have tribulation, you need not to be discouraged, but bear all things manfully, having this example.

BEDE. The flight into Egypt signifies that the elect are often by the wickedness of the bad driven from their homes, or sentenced to banishment. Thus He, who, we shall see below, gave the command to His own, When they shall persecute you in one city, flee to another, first practiced what He enjoined, as a man flying before the face of man on earth. He whom but a little before a star had proclaimed to the Magi to be worshipped as from heaven.

REMIG. Isaiah had foretold this flight into Egypt Lo! the Lord shall ascend on a light cloud, and shall come into Egypt, and shall scatter the idols of Egypt (Is 19:1). It is the practice of this Evangelist to confirm all he says; and that because he is writing to the Jews, therefore he adds, that it might be fulfilled, &c.

JEROME. This is not in the LXX, but in Osee according to the genuine Hebrew text we read: Israel is my child, and I have loved him, and from Egypt have I called my Son; where the LXX render, Israel is my child, and I have loved him and called my sons out of Egypt. ID. The Evangelist cites this text, because it refers to Christ typically. For it is to be observed that in this Prophet and in others, the coming of Christ and the call of the Gentiles are foreshown in such a manner, that the thread of history is never broken.

CHRYS. It is a law of prophecy, that in a thousand places many things are said of some and fulfilled of others. As it is said of Simeon and Levi, I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel (Gen 49:7); which was fulfilled not in themselves, but in their descendants. So here Christ is by nature the Son of God, and so the prophecy is fulfilled in Him.

JEROME; Let those who deny the authenticity of the Hebrew copies, show us this passage in the LXX, and when they have failed to find it, we will show it them in the Hebrew. We may also explain it in another way, by considering it as quoted from Numbers, God brought him out of Egypt; his glory is as it were that of a unicorn (Num 23:22).

REMIG. In Joseph is figured the order of preachers, in Mary Holy Scripture; by the Child the knowledge of the Savior; by the cruelty of Herod the persecution which the Church suffered in Jerusalem; by Joseph's flight into Egypt the passing of the preachers to the unbelieving Gentiles (for Egypt signifies darkness); by the time that he abode in Egypt the space of time between the ascension of the Lord and the coming of Anti-Christ; by Herod's death the extinction of jealousy in the hearts of the Jews.

19. But when Herod was dead, behold, an Angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,
20. Saying, Arise, and take the young Child and His mother, and go into the land of Israel; for they are dead which sought the young Child's life.

EUSEB. For the sacrilege which Herod had committed against the Savior, and his wicked slaughter of the infants of the same age, the Divine vengeance hastened his end; and his body, as Josephus relates, was attacked by a strange disease; so that the prophets declared that they were not human ailments, but visitations of Divine vengeance. Filled with mad fury, he gives command to seize and imprison the heads and nobles out of all parts of Judea, ordering that as soon as ever he should breathe his last, they should be all put to death, that so Judea though unwillingly might mourn at his decease. Just before he died he murdered his son Antipater (besides two boys put to death before, Alexander and Aristobulus). Such was the end of Herod, noticed in those words of the Evangelist, when Herod was dead, and such the punishment inflicted.

JEROME; Many here err from ignorance of history, supposing the Herod who mocked our Lord on the day of His passion, and the Herod whose death is here related, were the same. But the Herod who was then made friends with Pilate was son of this Herod and brother to Archelaus; for Archelaus was banished to Lyons in Gaul, and his father Herod made king in his room, as we read in Josephus.

PSEUDO-DIONYSIUS; See how Jesus Himself, though far above all celestial beings, and coming unchanged to our nature, shunned not that ordinance of humanity which He had taken on Him, but was obedient to the dispositions of His Father made known by Angels. For even by Angels is declared to Joseph the retreat of the Son into Egypt, so ordained of the Father, and His return again to Judea.

PSEUDO-CHRYS. See how Joseph was set for ministering to Mary; when she went into Egypt and returned, who would have fulfilled to her this so needful ministry, had she not been betrothed? For to outward view Mary nourished and Joseph defended the Child; but in truth the Child supported His mother and protected Joseph. Return into the land of Israel; for He went down into Egypt as a physician, not to abide there, but to succour it sick with error. But the reason of the return is given in the words, They are dead, &c.

JEROME; From this we see that not Herod only, but also the Priests and Scribes had sought the Lord's death at that time.

REMIG. But if they were many who sought his destruction, how came they all to have died in so short a time? As we have related above, all the great men among the Jews were slain at Herod's death.

PSEUDO-CHRYS.And that is said to have been done by the counsel of God for their conspiring with Herod against the Lord; as it is said, Herod was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

REMIG. Or the Evangelist uses a figure of speech, by which the plural is used for the singular. These words, the Child's life, overthrow those heretics who taught that Christ did not take a soul, but had His Divinity in place of a Soul.

BEDE; This slaughter of the infants for the Lord's sake, the death of Herod soon after, and Joseph's return with the Lord and his mother to the land of Israel, is a figure showing that all the persecutions moved against the Church will be avenged by the death of the persecutor, peace restored to the Church, and the saints who had concealed themselves return to their own places. Or the return of Jesus to the land of Israel on the death of Herod shows that, at the preaching of Enoch and Elijah, the Jews, when the fire of modern jealousy shall be extinguished, shall receive the true faith.

21. And he arose, and took the young Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel.
22. But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there; notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee;
23. And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might he fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene.

GLOSS. Joseph was not disobedient to the angelic warning, but he arose, and took the young Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel. The Angel had not fixed the particular place, so that while Joseph hesitates, the Angel returns, and by the often visiting him confirms his obedience.

JOSEPHUS; Herod had nine wives, by seven of whom he had a numerous issue. By Josida, his first born Antipater - by Mariamine, Alexander and Aristobulus - by Mathuca, a Samaritan woman, Archelaus - by Cleopatra of Jerusalem, Herod, who was afterwards tetrarch, and Philip. The three first were put to death by Herod, and after his death Archelaus seized the throne by occasion of his father's will, and the question of the succession was carried before Augustus Caesar. After some delay, he made a distribution of the whole of Herod's dominions in accordance with the Senate's advice. To Archelaus he assigned one half, consisting of Idumea and Judea, with the title of tetrarch, and a promise of that of king if he showed himself deserving of it. The rest he divided into two tetrarchates, giving Galilee to Herod the tetrarch, Ituraea and Trachonitis to Philip. Thus Archelaus was after his father's death a duarch, which kind of sovereignty is here called a kingdom.

AUG. Here it may be asked, How then could his parents go up every year of Christ's childhood to Jerusalem, as Luke relates, if fear of Archelaus now prevented them from approaching it? This difficulty is easily solved. At the festival they might escape notice in the crowd, and by returning soon, where in ordinary times they might be afraid to live. So they neither became irreligious by neglecting the festival, nor notorious by dwelling continually in Jerusalem. Or it is open to us to understand Luke when he says, they went up every year, as speaking of a time when they had nothing to fear from Archelaus, who, as Josephus relates , reigned only nine years. There is yet a difficulty in what follows: Being warned in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee. If Joseph was afraid to go into Judea because one of Herod's sons, Archelaus, reigned there, how could he go into Galilee, where another of his sons, Herod, was tetrarch, as Luke tells us? As if the times of which Luke is speaking were times in which there was no longer need to fear for the Child, when even in Judea things were so changed, that Archelaus no longer ruled there, but Pilate was governor.

GLOSS.But then we might ask, why was he not afraid to go into Galilee, seeing Archelaus ruled there also? He could be better concealed in Nazareth than in Jerusalem, which was the capital of the kingdom, and where Archelaus was constantly resident.

CHRYS. And when he had once left the country of His birth, all the occurrences passed out of mind; the rage of persecution had been spent in Bethlehem and its neighborhood. By choosing Nazareth therefore, Joseph both avoided danger, and returned to his country.

AUG. This may perhaps occur to some, that Matthew says His parents went with the Child Jesus to Galilee because they feared Archelaus, when it should seem most probable that they chose Galilee because Nazareth was their own city, as Luke has not forgotten to mention. We must understand, that when the Angel in the vision in Egypt said to Joseph, Go into the land of Israel, Joseph understood the command to be that he should go straight into Judea, that being properly the land of Israel. But finding Archelaus ruling there, he would not court the danger, as the land of Israel might be interpreted to extend to Galilee, which was inhabited by children of Israel. Or we may suppose His parents supposed that Christ should dwell nowhere but in Jerusalem, where was the temple of the Lord, and would have gone there had not the fear of Archelaus hindered them. And they had not been commanded from God to dwell positively in Judea, or Jerusalem, so as that they should have despised the fear of Archelaus, but only in the land of Israel generally, which they might understand of Galilee.

HILARY. But the figurative interpretation holds good any way. Joseph represents the Apostles, to whom Christ is entrusted to be borne about. These, as though Herod were dead, that is, his people being destroyed in the Lord's passion, are commanded to preach the Gospel to the Jews; they are sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. But finding the seed of their hereditary unbelief still abiding, they fear and withdraw; admonished by a vision, to wit, seeing the Holy Ghost poured upon the Gentiles, they carry Christ to them.

RABANUS. Or, we may apply it to the last times of the Jewish Church, when many Jews having turned to the preaching of Enoch and Elijah, the rest filled with the spirit of Antichrist shall fight against the faith. So that part of Judea where Archelaus rules, signifies the followers of Antichrist; Nazareth of Galilee, where Christ is conveyed, that part of the nation that shall embrace the faith. Galilee means 'removal'; Nazareth, 'the flower of virtues'; for the Church the more zealously she removes from the earthly to the heavenly, the more she abounds in the flower and fruit of virtues.

GLOSS. To this he adds the Prophet's testimony, saying, That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Prophets, &c.

JEROME. Had he meant to quote a particular text, he would not have written 'Prophets,' but 'the Prophet.' By thus using the plural he evidently does not take the words of any one passage in Scripture, but the sense of the whole. Nazarene is interpreted 'Holy,' and that the Lord would be Holy, all Scripture testifies. Otherwise we may explain that it is found in Isaiah rendered to the strict letter of the Hebrew. There shall come a Rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Nazarene shall grow out of His roots.

PSEUDO-CHRYS. They might have read this in some Prophets who are not in our canon, as Nathan or Esdras. That there was some prophecy to this purport is clear from what Philip says to Nathanael. Him of whom Moses in the Law and the Prophets did write, Jesus of Nazareth (John 1:15). Hence the Christians were at first called Nazarenes; at Antioch their name was changed to that of 'Christians.'

AUG. The whole of this history, from the account of the Magi inclusively, Luke omits. Let it be here noticed once for all, that each of the Evangelists writes as if he were giving a full and complete history, which omits nothing; where he really passes over anything, he continues his thread of history as if he had told all. Yet by a diligent comparison of their several narratives, we can be at no loss to know where to insert any particular that is mentioned by one and not by the other.

Catena Aurea Matthew 2
25 posted on 12/30/2016 4:25:24 AM PST by annalex (fear them not)
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To: annalex


The Flight into Egypt

Bartolome Esteban Murillo

1647-1650
Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit

26 posted on 12/30/2016 4:26:22 AM PST by annalex (fear them not)
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The Holy Family


The Holy Family
Jesus, Mary & Joseph

Feast Day
Sunday within the Octave of Christmas

Sunday After Christmas

When a Sunday does not occur between December 25 and January 1, this feast is celebrated on December 30 with only one reading before the Gospel.


Venerunt pastores festinantes, et invenerunt Mariam et Joseph et Infantem positum in praesepio (Luke 2:16)

The shepherds hastened to Bethlehem, where they found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. (Luke 2:16 - Entrance Antiphon)

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Collect for the Feast of the Holy Family
Scripture Readings
Pope John Paul II's prayer for the Family - 2004
Prayers for the Blessing of a Child, for a Happy Marriage
Directory of Popular Piety | Catechism of the Catholic Church
Church Documents on the Family | "Familiaris Consortio On the Role of the Christian Family in the Modern World'

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Collect:

O God, who were pleased to give us
the shining example of the Holy Family,
graciously grant that we may imitate them
in practicing the virtues of family life and in the bonds of charity,
and so, in the joy of your house,
delight one day in eternal rewards.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. +Amen.

Readings for Mass:
RSV-CE translation

First Reading: Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) 3: 2-7, 12-14
For the Lord honored the father above the children,
and He confirmed the right of the mother over her sons.
Whoever honors his father atones for sins,
and whoever glorifies his mother
is like one who lays up treasure.
Whoever honors 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;
he will serve his parents as his masters.

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.

OR 1 Sm 1:20-22, 24-28
Hannah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Samuel, for she said, "I have asked him of the LORD." And the man Elkanah and all his house went up to offer to the LORD the yearly sacrifice, and to pay his vow. But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, "As soon as the child is weaned, I will bring him, that he may appear in the presence of the LORD, and abide there for ever."

And when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine; and she brought him to the house of the LORD at Shiloh; and the child was young. Then they slew the bull, and they brought the child to Eli. And she said, "Oh, my lord! As you live, my lord, I am the woman who was standing here in your presence, praying to the LORD. For this child I prayed; and the LORD has granted me my petition which I made to him. Therefore I have lent him to the LORD; as long as he lives, he is lent to the LORD." And they worshiped the LORD there.

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 84:2-3, 5-6, 9-10

R. Blessed are they who dwell in your house, O Lord.

My soul longs, yea, faints for the courts of the LORD;
my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.
Even the sparrow finds a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may lay her young, at thy altars,
O LORD of hosts, my King and my God.

R. Blessed are they who dwell in your house, O Lord.

5 Blessed are the men whose strength is in thee,
in whose heart are the highways to Zion.
6 As they go through the valley of Baca they make it a place of springs;
the early rain also covers it with pools.

R. Blessed are they who dwell in your house, O Lord.

9 Behold our shield, O God;
look upon the face of thine anointed!
10 For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand elsewhere.
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of wickedness.

R. Blessed are they who dwell in your house, O Lord.

Second Reading: Col 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, teach and admonish one another in all wisdom, and 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.

OR Col 3:12-17
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, teach and admonish one another in all wisdom, and 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.

OR 1 John 3:1-2,21-24

See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God's children now; it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and we receive from him whatever we ask, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. All who keep his commandments abide in him, and he in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit which he has given us.

Gospel Reading - Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23

Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Rise, take the child and His mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there till I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy Him." And he rose and took the child and His mother by night, and departed to Egypt, and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfil what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, "Out of Egypt have I called My Son."

But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, "Rise, take the child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child's life are dead." And he rose and took the child and His mother, and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus reigned over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. And he went and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, "He shall be called a Nazarene."

Pope John Paul II - Prayer from Angelus Message for the Feast of the Holy Family 2004

"May the Holy Family, who had to overcome many painful trials, watch over all the families in the world, especially those who are experiencing difficult situations. May the Holy Family also help men and women of culture and political leaders so that they may defend the institution of the family, based on marriage, and so that they may sustain the family as it confronts the grave challenges of the modern age!

"During this Year of the Eucharist may Christian families find the light and strength to be united and to grow as the 'domestic church' especially in their diligent participation in the celebration of the Eucharist on Sunday.

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The Scripture readings for the Feast of the Holy Family show the love between Mary, Joseph and Jesus, and also tell the mystery of the Incarnate God subjecting Himself to the authority of His earthly parents. Parents might offer a special blessing prayer for their children or for their marriage on this feast. Two such prayers are below:

The Blessing of a Child
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, who came to earth as an infant and thus sanctified childhood, pour the graces of thy blessing upon [Name], thy child, being mindful of the faith and devotion of the Church and of us, his {her} parents; so that, growing in virtue and wisdom before God and men, [Name] may attain a blessed old age and enjoy eternal salvation: Who livest and reignest forever and ever Amen.

A Prayer for a Happy Marriage
Lord Jesus Christ, who by thy presence at the wedding feast at Cana didst bless the state of Holy Matrimony; and by thy love and favor hath raised marriage to the dignity of a sacrament: Grant that we may be ever faithful to the marriage vows that we nave pledged. May all that we do bring us to greater love for each other and for thee. May no act of ours be unworthy in thy sight. May we never forget the ends for which matrimony has been instituted. And especially may we never, through selfishness, defile ourselves and our unity in mutual love by any action displeasing to thee. Teach us to trust in thy gracious mercy. May we gratefully receive children, and train and guide them with wise responsibility in the knowledge of thy love. Grant us the spiritual and temporal means to raise these children according to thy will. And may we worthily receive thy grace and favor through the sacramental bond of marriage. May every expression of our love for one another be united to our love for thee. Who livest and reignest forever and ever. Amen.
(Adapted from Mother's Manual, by A. Francis Comes, S.J., William J. Hirten Co., Inc., 1984)



From the Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy

The Feast of the Holy Family

112. The feast of the holy family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph (Sunday in the Christmas octave) is a festive occasion particularly suitable for the celebration of rites or moments of prayer proper to the Christian family. The recollection of Joseph, Mary and Jesus' going up to Jerusalem, together with other observant Jewish families, for the celebration of the Passover (cf. Lk 2:41-42), should normally encourage a positive acceptance of the pastoral suggestion that all members of the family attend Mass on this day. This feast day also affords an opportunity for the renewal of our entrustment to the patronage of the Holy Family of Nazareth(120); the blessing of children as provided in the ritual(121); and where opportune, for the renewal of marriage vows taken by the spouses on their wedding day, and also for the exchange of promises between those engaged to be married in which they formalize their desire to found a new Christian family(122).

Outside of the feast, the faithful have frequent recourse to the Holy Family of Nazareth in many of life's circumstances: joining the Association of the Holy Family so as to model their own families on the Holy Family of Nazareth(123); frequent prayers to entrust themselves to the patronage of the Holy Family and to obtain assistance at the hour of death(124).


From the Catechism of the Catholic Church
533 The hidden life at Nazareth allows everyone to enter into fellowship with Jesus by the most ordinary events of daily life:

The home of Nazareth is the school where we begin to understand the life of Jesus - the school of the Gospel. First, then, a lesson of silence. May esteem for silence, that admirable and indispensable condition of mind, revive in us. . . A lesson on family life. May Nazareth teach us what family life is, its communion of love, its austere and simple beauty, and its sacred and inviolable character... A lesson of work. Nazareth, home of the "Carpenter's Son", in you I would choose to understand and proclaim the severe and redeeming law of human work. . . To conclude, I want to greet all the workers of the world, holding up to them their great pattern their brother who is God.

534 The finding of Jesus in the temple is the only event that breaks the silence of the Gospels about the hidden years of Jesus. Here Jesus lets us catch a glimpse of the mystery of his total consecration to a mission that flows from his divine sonship: "Did you not know that I must be about my Father's work?" Mary and Joseph did not understand these words, but they accepted them in faith. Mary "kept all these things in her heart" during the years Jesus remained hidden in the silence of an ordinary life.




Church Documents on Families

"Twenty years since 'Familiaris Consortio': The Anthropological and Pastoral Dimension" -- Pontifical Council for the Family Conclusions of the Theological-Pastoral Congress (December 20, 2001)

Message on Familiaris Consortio -- 20th Anniversary (November 22, 2001)

Preparation for the Sacrament of Marriage -- Pontifical Council for the Family (May 13, 1996)

The Truth and Meaning of Human Sexuality -- Guidelines for Education within the Family - Pontifical Council for the Family (December 8, 1995)

The Pastoral Care of the Family -- Message to Pontifical Council on the Family 1992

Charter of the Rights of the Family -- Pontifical Council on the Family (1983)

Familiaris Consortio -- On the Christian Family - Apostolic Exhortation, 1981



Familiaris Consortio -- on the Role of the Christian Family in the Modern World by Helen Hull Hitchcock (Nov 1, 2001)

27 posted on 12/30/2016 9:27:10 AM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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God's Plan for Marriage and Family - A Homily for the Feast of the Holy Family
Focused on a Functional Family: A Homily for the Feast of the Holy Family
Imitating the Holy Family: Four Traits that Make It Possible

[Catholic Caucus] On the Holy Family [Angelus]
Biblical Teachings on Marriage and Family. A Homily for the Feast of the Holy Family
On Prayer in the Life of the Holy Family
The Holy Family - held together by Love through all their problems [Ecumenical]
Feast of the Holy Family: The Christian Family is a Domestic Church
Chesterton on "The Human Family and the Holy Family"
Joseph, Mary and Jesus: A Model Family
ADVICE TO PARENTS by Saint Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)
The Holy Family
St. Joseph as Head of the Holy Family (Catholic/Orthodox Caucus)

Feast of the Holy Family
Feast of the Holy Family (Dom Guéranger OSB)
The Feast of the Holy Family
The Holy Family vs. The Holy Innocents: A Christmas season reflection [Catholic Caucus]
Vatican creche to place Holy Family in Joseph's carpentry workshop
The Redemption and Protection of the Family [Feast of the Holy Family]
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1606480/posts
Unraveling Jesus' mystery years in Egypt
Gaudi’s Church of the Holy Family to be ready for worship in 2008
Imitating the Holy Family; Four Traits that Make It Possible
Lots of Graphics: Post your favorite image of the St. Mary and Child, the Holy Family...

28 posted on 12/30/2016 9:29:54 AM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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Information: Bl. Eugenia Ravasco

Feast Day: December 30

Born: 4 January 1845 in Milan, Italy

Died: 30 December 1900 in Genoa, Italy

29 posted on 12/30/2016 9:35:53 AM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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St. Anysia


Feast Day: December 30
Born:(around 270) :: Died:(around 304)

Anysia was born in Salonika, Thessalonica in Greece. Thessalonica was an ancient city to which St. Paul himself had first brought the faith of Jesus.

Anysia was a Christian and she came from a rich but pious family. After her parents' death, Anysia took private vows of poverty and chastity and used her wealth to help the poor.

In those days, Christians in Thessalonica were treated very cruelly. The governor was a hard man who wanted to stop all Christians from meeting together for Mass.

But Anysia quietly slipped out one day to try and go to a Christian servoce. As she passed a gate called Cassandra, a guard saw her. Stepping out in front of her, he demanded to know where she was going.

Frightened, Anysia stepped backwards, tracing a cross on her forehead. Immediately the soldier grabbed her and shook her roughly. "Who are you" he shouted. "And where are you going?" Anysia took a deep breath and replied, "I am a servant of Jesus Christ, and I am going to the Lord's assembly."

"Oh yes?" sneered the guard. "I will stop that. I will take you to sacrifice to the sun god. Saying this, he snatched off her veil. Anysia struggled and spat in his face.

Finally, in great anger, he drew his sword and stabbed her with it. The saint fell dead at his feet. When the harassment ended, the Christians of Thessalonica built a church over the spot where St. Anysia had given her life for Christ. Anysia died around 304.


30 posted on 12/30/2016 9:40:13 AM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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CATHOLIC ALMANAC

Friday, December 30

Liturgical Color: White

Today is the Feast of the Holy
Family. Because Jesus chose to be
raised by Mary and Joseph, He
showed the importance of the
family. The Church calls the family
the domestic Church, charged with
the responsibility of witnessing the
Christian life.

31 posted on 12/30/2016 3:54:52 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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Catholic Culture

Christmas: December 30th

Feast of the Holy Family

MASS READINGS

December 30, 2016 (Readings on USCCB website)

COLLECT PRAYER

O God, who were pleased to give us the shining example of the Holy Family, graciously grant that we may imitate them in practicing the virtues of family life and in the bonds of charity, and so, in the joy of your house, delight one day in eternal rewards. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

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Old Calendar: Sunday in Octave of the Nativity

Scripture tells us practically nothing about the first years and the boyhood of the Child Jesus. All we know are the facts of the sojourn in Egypt, the return to Nazareth, and the incidents that occurred when the twelve-year-old boy accompanied his parents to Jerusalem. In her liturgy the Church hurries over this period of Christ's life with equal brevity. The general breakdown of the family, however, at the end of the past century and at the beginning of our own, prompted the popes, especially the far-sighted Leo XIII, to promote the observance of this feast with the hope that it might instill into Christian families something of the faithful love and the devoted attachment that characterize the family of Nazareth. The primary purpose of the Church in instituting and promoting this feast is to present the Holy Family as the model and exemplar of all Christian families.

— Excerpted from With Christ Through the Year, Rev. Bernard Strasser, O.S.B.

The Sixth Day of Christmas


The Holy Family
Marriage is too often conceived as the sacrament which unites a man and a woman to form a couple. In reality, marriage establishes a family, and its purpose is to increase the number of the elect, through the bodily and spiritual fecundity of the Christian spouses.

1. Every marriage intends children. Although Mary and Joseph were not united in a carnal way, their marriage is a true marriage: an indissoluble, exclusive union, wholly subordinated to the child. Mary and Joseph are united only in order to bring Jesus into the world, to protect and raise him. They have only one child, but he contains the whole of mankind, even as Isaac, an only child, fulfilled the promise made to Abraham of a countless progeny.

2. The purpose of every marriage is to establish a Christian family. The Holy Family observed the religious laws of Israel; it went in pilgrimage to Jerusalem every year with other Jewish families (Lk. 2:41). Jesus saddens and amazes his father and his mother because to their will and company he prefers "to be in his Father's house". Thus it may happen that God's will obliges the family to make disconcerting sacrifices. Yet every Christian family must live in harmony and in prayer, which are the pledges of joy and union.

3. "He remained obedient to them." Jesus was God. And through the fullness of grace Mary stood above Joseph. Nevertheless — if we except the event in the Temple — Joseph remained the head of the family; he took the initiative (as when the Holy Family fled to Egypt), and in Nazareth Jesus obeyed his parents.

Excerpted from Bread and the Word, A.M. Roguet


The Holy Family: Jesus, Mary and Joseph
The devotion to the Holy Family was born in Bethlehem, together with the Baby Jesus. The shepherds went to adore the Child and, at the same time, they gave honor to His family. Later, in a similar way, the three wise men came from the East to adore and give honor to the newborn King with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh that would be safeguarded by His family.

We can go further to affirm that in a certain sense Christ, Himself, was the first devotee of His family. He showed His devotion to His mother and foster father by submitting Himself, with infinite humility, to the duty of filial obedience towards them. This is what St Bernard of Clairvaux said in this regard, ‘God, to whom angels submit themselves and who principalities and powers obey, was subject to Mary; and not only to Mary but Joseph also for Mary’s sake [….]. God obeyed a human creature; this is humility without precedent. A human creature commands God; it is sublime beyond measure.’ (First Homily on the ‘Missus Est’).

Today’s celebration demonstrates Christ’s humility and obedience with respect to the fourth commandment, whilst also highlighting the loving care that His parents exercised in His keeping. The servant of God, Pope John Paul II, in 1989, entitled his Apostolic Exhortation, ‘Redemptoris Custos’ (Guardian of the Redeemer) which was dedicated to the person and the mission of Saint Joseph in the life of Christ and of the Church. After exactly a century, he resumed the teaching of Pope Leo XIII, for who Saint Joseph ‘.. shines among all mankind by the most august dignity, since by divine will, he was the guardian of the Son of God and reputed as His father among men’ (Encyclical Quamquam Pluries [1889] n. 3). Pope Leo XIII continued, ‘.. Joseph became the guardian, the administrator, and the legal defender of the divine house whose chief he was.[…] It is, then, natural and worthy that as the Blessed Joseph ministered to all the needs of the family at Nazareth and girt it about with his protection, he should now cover with the cloak of his heavenly patronage and defend the Church of Jesus Christ.’ Not many years before, blessed Pope Pius IX had proclaimed Saint Joseph, ‘Patron of the Catholic Church’ (1870)

Almost intuitively, one can recognize that the mysterious, exemplary, guardianship enacted by Joseph was conducted firstly, in a yet more intimate way, by Mary. Consequently, the liturgical feast of the Holy Family speaks to us of the fond and loving care that we must render to the Body of Christ. We can understand this in a mystical sense, as guardians of the Church, and also in the Eucharistic sense. Mary and Joseph took great care of Jesus’ physical body. Following their example, we can and must take great care of His Mystical Body, the Church, and the Eucharist which He has entrusted to us. If Mary was, in some way, ‘the first tabernacle in history’ (John Paul II Ecclesia de Eucharistia, n. 55) then we the Tabernacle in which Our Lord chose to reside in person, in His Real Presence, was also entrusted to us. We can learn from Mary and Joseph! What would they ever have overlooked in the care of Jesus’ physical body? Is there something, therefore, that we can withhold for the right and adoring care of His Eucharistic Body? No amount of attention, no sane act of love and adoring respect will ever be too much! On the contrary, our adoration and respect will always be inferior to the great gift that comes to us in the Holy Eucharist.

Looking at the Holy Family, we see the love, the protection, and the diligent care that they gave to the Redeemer. We can not fail to feel uneasiness, perhaps a shameful thought, for the times in which we have not rendered the appropriate care and attention to the Blessed Eucharist. We can only ask for forgiveness and do penance for all the sacrilegious acts and the lack of respect that are committed in front of the Blessed Eucharist. We can only ask the Lord, through the intersession of the Holy Family of Nazareth, for a greater love for their Son Incarnate, who has decided to remain here on earth with us every day until the end of time.

From the Congregation for the Clergy

Things to Do:


32 posted on 12/30/2016 6:47:31 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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The Word Among Us

Meditation: Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14

The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph (Feast)

God sets a father in honor over his children. (Sirach 3:2)

In Rome, you can visit the place where St. Ignatius Loyola lived. In the room where he prayed, there is one picture mounted on the wall: a painting of the Holy Family. This was the one image Ignatius used for his meditation every day.

What was Ignatius pondering as he spent hours gazing upon that picture? Was he admiring the way Mary listened to the leadings of the Holy Spirit and consented to be the mother of Jesus? Perhaps he pondered what it would have been like to walk with Joseph, leading and protecting Mary and the baby Jesus on their journey to Egypt? Maybe Ignatius saw himself sitting down for dinner each night and joining in conversation with these three?

Ignatius probably also spent time meditating on how God joined himself so closely with us in the birth of Jesus and on how Jesus submitted himself to his parents’ authority. He probably also pictured himself at work with Joseph and Jesus in the carpenter’s workshop. It’s even possible that Ignatius prayed to the Holy Family in intercession for all the families that he knew.

It’s hard to be a holy family today. The world doesn’t always share or support our values. Everything has become so fast paced and demanding that it’s hard for couples to find the time to deepen their relationship. Many families also face significant financial obstacles. Clearly the challenges are many. But we shouldn’t let them discourage us. Why? Because we have a loving Father who will always look out for us.

As you celebrate the Holy Family today, know that Jesus treasures your family—no matter what shape it is in. He knows your needs, and he is constantly pouring out love and blessings upon you.

One sure way that your family can be like the Holy Family is to imitate Jesus by giving your own expressions of love. Whether your family is united or divided, whether it is healthy or struggling, tell your children that you love them. Show them your affection by hugging them or kissing them. Let love—your love and Jesus’ love—cover your family, and God will bless you.

“Jesus, protect our children. Transform all families into holy families.”

Psalm 128:1-5
Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23

33 posted on 12/30/2016 6:54:12 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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Marriage = One Man and One Woman Until Death Do Us Part

Daily Marriage Tip for December 30, 2016:

Today’s first reading reminds us to honor our parents all the days of our lives. Do you treat your spouse’s parents with the same respect you treat your own? Do you help your spouse take care of their needs?

34 posted on 12/30/2016 6:57:49 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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Regnum Christi

December 30, 2016 – God’s Secret in Our Own Back Yard

Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph

Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23

When the magi had departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him.” Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed for Egypt. He stayed there until the death of Herod, that what the Lord had said through the prophet might be fulfilled, “Out of Egypt I called my son.” When Herod realized that he had been deceived by the magi, he became furious. He ordered the massacre of all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had ascertained from the magi. Then was fulfilled what had been said through Jeremiah the prophet: “A voice was heard in Ramah, sobbing and loud lamentation; Rachel weeping for her children, and she would not be consoled, since they were no more.” When Herod had died, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child’s life are dead.” He rose, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go back there. And because he had been warned in a dream, he departed for the region of Galilee. He went and dwelt in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, “He shall be called a Nazorean.”

Introductory Prayer: Lord, you are my friend, my Father, and my protector. I come to you on this new day confident in your presence. I renew my love for you, trusting in your guiding hand.

Petition: Help me to encounter you more deeply in this moment. Help me to encounter you more deeply in those around me.

1. We Are Often Not Worthy of Those around Us: In God’s plan, the family is a mystery of love. Today we celebrate the gift of love that we experience so often within the family. Here God shows us the way each member of the family contributes to the working of God in our lives, how he helps us experience his closeness and protection through the closeness and intimacy of family relations. We can think how proud Mary was to have a husband like St. Joseph, a man who was so strong and loving, and yet so unassuming and humble he was willing to risk everything to protect her and Jesus. We can think of the tremendous respect and awe that St. Joseph had for the beauty of Mary’s heart and for God’s entrustment to him of these two most special people, Jesus and Mary. Do I show this wonder and awe at the goodness of those around me, especially in my family?

2. God’s Plan of Salvation Passes through the Family: Is there anything more natural to man than the family? Yet we discover today in a special way that God accomplishes his plan of salvation so often through the quiet, hidden love of the family. The sacrifices that its members makes for each other open them to be instruments of God’s grace and love for the wider family that God wants to build in the world. We have good news about the family! In this school of love and sacrifice God prepares his missionaries for the salvation of the world. Do I strive to learn anew each day to be an instrument of God’s love for others in my family? Do I make my family a school of evangelization through my imitating Christ’s virtues there and building up a culture of life inside and outside my family?

3. “He Shall Be Called a Nazorean”: Nazareth was not the most likely place to find the Messiah, and yet that is exactly where God wanted to be. Do I sometimes think that my family cannot be a place where God is truly present, because I so easily notice the defects of my spouse, children, parents and relatives? Am I able to wonder at the work that God is quietly accomplishing in these real, limited, yet amazing people around me? The Church is also my family. Do I sometimes criticize the failings of others in the Church rather than build her up, or do I focus on the positive, using my energy to help in the new evangelization rather than wasting it on complaining?

Conversation with Christ: Lord, thank you for making the family your home. Help me learn from you, Jesus, Mary and St. Joseph, to live for others. Thank you for showing me the power of your grace working through the concrete, sometimes difficult circumstances of my family. Help me to build up love in my family and in the family of the Church.

Resolution: I will make a special effort today to say at least one positive thing about each member of my family.

35 posted on 12/30/2016 7:01:19 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
Homily of the Day
December 30, 2016

Pope Francis has always stressed the importance of the family. At his Manila visit in January 2015 he said, “Families have an indispensable mission in society. It is in the family that children are trained in sound values, high ideals and genuine concern for others. But like all God’s gifts, the family can also be disfigured and destroyed. It needs our support.”

Today’s Mass readings for the Feast of the Holy Family stress on relationships within families which strengthen families and avoid their destruction.

Obedience is the key word, the foundation of which is developed in the family. When we honor and obey our parents, our children follow our example and become obedient to their parents. We begin to destroy our families when we set bad examples in defying or not respecting our parents and our children see this.

What happens in the family reflects on the larger society to which we belong. In our modern society where information is so easily accessible, some children become so knowledgeable to the point of being arrogant and self-sufficient. They may not realize that it is the wisdom and experience of their parents and elders in the family which maintain harmony in the family. In the Gospel reading we see God working with instructions through St. Joseph, the head of the Holy Family, who was then responsible for the safety and well being of his family.

At the same time parents should also avoid being arrogant and over-bearing and also respectful of their children.

Can we imagine what our society would be like if families lived with due respect and love for each other? We pray that our families may emulate the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph.


36 posted on 12/30/2016 7:14:47 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
One Bread, One Body

One Bread, One Body

Language: English | Espa�ol

All Issues > Volume 33, Issue 1

<< Friday, December 30, 2016 >> Holy Family
 
Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14
Colossians 3:12-21

View Readings
Psalm 128:1-5
Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23

Similar Reflections
 
Please read: Donations appeal letter
 

THE FAMILY FIGHTS BACK

 
"The Lord sets a father in honor over his children; a mother's authority He confirms over her sons. He who honors his father atones for sins." �Sirach 3:2-3
 

The Christian family is being assaulted with a vehemence which is unprecedented. Promiscuity, contraception, abortion, abuses, addictions, and divorces are rampant. Bitterness, resentments, and unforgiveness poison family relationships. Fewer families are surviving.

The Lord wants this Christmas season to be the time for a counter-assault by the Christian family on the culture of death. We need parents like St. Joseph, who will obey immediately and act decisively to save their children from death (see Mt 2:13-14). The Lord is calling spouses and parents to be ministers of reconciliation (see 2 Cor 5:18) and peacemakers (see Mt 5:9), who have accepted the grace of forgiving and being forgiven. Then these spouses and families can pray together daily and share the Scriptures together daily. These are first steps toward the family becoming what the Church has traditionally called a "domestic Church" (Catechism, 1655-1657). These family churches have the freedom to be obedient and submissive (see Eph 5:18-21). In this obedience, there is unity, and in these families' unity there is power to bring down the enemies of the family, the Herods of this world, and to replace our culture of death with a civilization of love and life.

This Christmas, make Joseph-like decisions for your family's salvation.

 
Prayer: Father, send the Holy Spirit, the true Christmas Spirit, to show me the threats to my family.
Promise: "Husbands, love your wives. Avoid any bitterness toward them. You children, obey your parents in everything as the acceptable way in the Lord." �Col 3:19-20
Praise: The Holy Family models what being of "one heart and one mind" is like (Acts 4:32).

37 posted on 12/30/2016 7:19:44 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All

Prayer at an Abortion Chamber

Father, I come to this place as to a new Calvary,
I wish to stand here with Mary
and those others who stood by the cross of Jesus
the day he sacrificed himself for us sinners.

I firmly believe the sorrowful scene before my eyes
is nothing less than a reenactment of Jesus’ suffering and death,
already anticipated in the massacre of the Innocents of Bethlehem
and repeated in the slaughter of the least of his brethren,
the tiny children brought here today to be slain.

Father, I realize I cannot stop the killing of most of these children,
any more than Mary could have stopped the slaying of her Child that fatal day.
But in faith I unite my heart with hers
and humbly adore YOUR Divine purpose in allowing such bloodshed.

I offer You the blood of Jesus,
and, mingled with it,
the blood of these little ones,
for their own salvation and for that of their parents,
the abortionist, and our whole generation.
Remember Jesus’ own prayer from the cross
with its echo in Mary’s heart:
“Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”

But perhaps the hour has not come for some of them.
Once you told Joseph to take the Child and his mother
far from those seeking the Child’s life.
I offer myself to you, as St. Joseph’s helper,
ready to do everything I can for my beloved Jesus and Mary
in the person of the child and mother you entrust to my care.

Dear Father, accept my prayer in the name of Jesus.

Amen.


38 posted on 12/30/2016 7:29:39 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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