December Devotion: The Immaculate Conception

Since the 16th century Catholic piety has assigned entire months to special devotions. The month of December is traditionally dedicated to the Immaculate Conception. The Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first moment of her conception, by a singular privilege of Almighty God, and in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, our Savior and hers, was preserved from all stain of original sin. This age-old belief of the Church was defined by Pope Pius IX in 1854 as an article of revealed truth.

Mary was in need of redemption and she was indeed redeemed by the Precious Blood of Jesus Christ. The manner of Mary's redemption, however, was unique. Instead of being freed from original sin after having contracted it, she was preserved from contracting it. This was a most fitting favor for the Mother of the Redeemer.

INVOCATION
O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.

The Immaculate Conception from the Catechism of the Catholic Church

To become the mother of the Savior, Mary “was enriched by God with gifts appropriate to such a role.” The angel Gabriel at the moment of the annunciation salutes her as “full of grace”. In fact, in order for Mary to be able to give the free assent of her faith to the announcement of her vocation, it was necessary that she be wholly borne by God’s grace.

Through the centuries the Church has become ever more aware that Mary, “full of grace” through God, was redeemed from the moment of her conception. That is what the dogma of the Immaculate Conception confesses, as Pope Pius IX proclaimed in 1854:

The most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Savior of the human race, preserved immune from all stain of original sin.

The “splendor of an entirely unique holiness” by which Mary is “enriched from the first instant of her conception” comes wholly from Christ: she is “redeemed, in a more exalted fashion, by reason of the merits of her Son”. The Father blessed Mary more than any other created person “in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” and chose her “in Christ before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless before him in love”.

The Fathers of the Eastern tradition call the Mother of God “the All-Holy” (Panagia), and celebrate her as “free from any stain of sin, as though fashioned by the Holy Spirit and formed as a new creature”. By the grace of God Mary remained free of every personal sin her whole life long.

PRAYER OF POPE PIUS XII
This prayer, dedicated to Mary Immaculate, was composed by the Pope for the Marian Year (December 8, 1953-December 8, 1954), which was proclaimed to mark the centenary of the definition of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception.

Enraptured by the splendor of your heavenly beauty, and impelled by the anxieties of the world, we cast ourselves into your arms, 0 Immacuate Mother of Jesus and our Mother, Mary, confident of finding in your most loving heart appeasement of our ardent desires, and a safe harbor from the tempests which beset us on every side.

Though degraded by our faults and overwhelmed by infinite misery, we admire and praise the peerless richness of sublime gifts with which God has filled you, above every other mere creature, from the first moment of your conception until the day on which, after your assumption into heaven, He crowned you Queen of the Universe.

O crystal fountain of faith, bathe our minds with the eternal truths! O fragrant Lily of all holiness, captivate our hearts with your heavenly perfume! 0 Conqueress of evil and death, inspire in us a deep horror of sin, which makes the soul detestable to God and a slave of hell!

O well-beloved of God, hear the ardent cry which rises up from every heart. Bend tenderly over our aching wounds. Convert the wicked, dry the tears of the afflicted and oppressed, comfort the poor and humble, quench hatreds, sweeten harshness, safeguard the flower of purity in youth, protect the holy Church, make all men feel the attraction of Christian goodness. In your name, resounding harmoniously in heaven, may they recognize that they are brothers, and that the nations are members of one family, upon which may there shine forth the sun of a universal and sincere peace.

Receive, O most sweet Mother, our humble supplications, and above all obtain for us that, one day, happy with you, we may repeat before your throne that hymn which today is sung on earth around your altars: You are all-beautiful, O Mary! You are the glory, you are the joy, you are the honor of our people! Amen.

Prayer Source: Prayer Book, The by Reverend John P. O'Connell, M.A., S.T.D. and Jex Martin, M.A., The Catholic Press, Inc., Chicago, Illinois, 1954

Litany of the Blessed Virgin

Lord, have mercy on us
Christ, have mercy on us
Lord, have mercy on us
Christ, hear us
Christ, graciously hear us

God the Father of heaven, have mercy on us God the Son, Redeemer of the World, have mercy on us God the Holy Spirit, ...
Holy Trinity, one God, ...

Holy Mary, pray for us
Holy Mother of God, pray for us
Holy Virgin of virgins, ...
Mother of Christ, ...
Mother of Divine Grace, ...
Mother most pure, ...
Mother most chaste, ...
Mother inviolate, ...
Mother undefiled, ...
Mother most amiable, ...
Mother most admirable, ...
Mother of good counsel, ...
Mother of our Creator, ...
Mother of our Saviour, ...
Virgin most prudent, ...
Virgin most venerable, ...
Virgin most renowned, ...
Virgin most powerful, ...
Virgin most merciful, ...
Virgin most faithful, ...
Mirror of justice, ...
Seat of wisdom, ...
Cause of our joy, ...
Spiritual vessel, ...
Vessel of honour, ...
Singular vessel of devotion, ...
Mystical rose, ...
Tower of David, ...
Tower of ivory, ...
House of gold, ...
Ark of the covenant, ...
Gate of heaven, ...
Morning star, ...
Health of the sick, ...
Refuge of sinners, ...
Comforter of the afflicted, ...
Help of Christians, ...
Queen of Angels, ...
Queen of Patriarchs, ...
Queen of Prophets, ...
Queen of Apostles, ...
Queen of Martyrs, ...
Queen of Confessors, ...
Queen of Virgins, ...
Queen of all Saints, ...
Queen conceived without original sin, ...
Queen assumed into heaven, ...
Queen of the most holy Rosary, ...
Queen of Peace, ...

Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, spare us, O Lord, Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, O Lord, Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.

Grant we beseech Thee, O Lord God,
that we, Thy servants, may enjoy perpetual health of mind and body: and, by the glorious intercession of the blessed Mary, ever Virgin, be delivered from present sorrow and enjoy eternal gladness.
Through Christ, our Lord.

Amen

Why Catholics Believe in the Immaculate Conception

IMMACULATE CONCEPTION NOVENA [Prayer]
Essays for Lent: The Immaculate Conception
"I Am The Immaculate Conception"
The Corona of the Immaculate Conception [Catholic Caucus]
Catholic Caucus: Immaculate Conception Novena Prayer Thread
New chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Lebanon at National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception
Feast of the The Conception by St. Anna of the Most Holy Theotokos December 9th
On the Immaculate Conception
Immaculate Mary: "Trust Jesus, he will save you" (Catholic Caucus)
I Love that Woman! My Unworthy Reflections on The Immaculate Conception

LAND OF MARY IMMACULATE [Ecumenical]
Mary as the New Eve - St. Irenaeus
Mary - the Immaculate Ark of the New Covenant [Catholic Caucus]
THE LIFE OF BLESSED JOHN DUNS SCOTUS, Defender of the Immaculate Conception [Catholic Caucus]
An Unfathomable Marian Richness [Catholic Caucus]
Catholic Biblical Apologetics: The Immaculate Conception of Mary
History of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception - December 8 [Catholic Caucus]
Preserved Sinless from the Moment of Humanity (Dogma of the Immaculate Conception) [Catholic Caucus]
I Love that Woman! My Unworthy Reflections on The Immaculate Conception [Catholic Caucus]
Father Marquette's Devotion to the Immaculate Conception (Catholic Caucus)

St. John Neumann and the Doctrine of the Immaculate Conception (Catholic Caucus)
Our Jewish Roots: The Immaculate Conception [Ecumenical]
And It Was Night. The Real Story of Original Sin [Ecumenical]
I Love that Woman! My Unworthy Reflections on The Immaculate Conception
Mary Immaculate: Patroness of the United States [Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]
Catholic/Orthodox Caucus: The Immaculate Conception: A Marvelous Theme - Novena Starts Nov. 30
THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION - Satan's Mighty Foe(Catholic Caucus)
Ark of the new covenant
Historian reveals how Pius IX decided to proclaim dogma of Immaculate Conception (Catholic Caucus)
The Immaculate Vs. the Proud

Immaculate Conception Novena -- starts November 30th [Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]
Blessed John Duns Scotus Champion Of Mary's Immaculate Conception (CATHOLIC CAUCUS)
The Crusade of Mary Immaculate - St. Maximilian Kolbe (Catholic Caucus)
The Early Church Fathers on the Immaculate Conception - Catholic/Orthodox Caucus
Three Reasons the Church’s ... The Immaculate Conception
Her saving grace - the origins of the Immaculate Conception
Mary Is a Model Who Works With Us and in Us
U.S. Catholic bishops to renew consecration of nation to Immaculate Conception
Catholic Meditation: To the Immaculate Conception on this Election Day
Saint Bernadette of Lourdes (Sermon from 1934)

December, 2018

The Holy Father's Prayer Intention

Evangelization – In the Service of the Transmission of Faith -- That people, who are involved in the service and transmission of faith, may find, in their dialogue with culture, a language suited to the conditions of the present time.

'May she find in you her teacher, and may she look to you with the inexperienced wonder of childhood. Neither in you, nor in her father should she ever see behaviour that could lead to sin, as it could be copied. Remember that. . . you can educate her more by example than with words.'

St. Jerome

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).

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/3716276/posts

Saint of the Day — Saint Egwin

Archdiocese of Washington

A Homily for the Feast of the Holy Family

Msgr. Charles Pope • December 29, 2018 •

Christ Among the Doctors of the Temple, by Giotto (1304-06)

Here in the middle of the Christmas Octave, the Church bids us to celebrate the feast of the Holy Family. On the old calendar, the feast of the Holy Family falls on the Sunday after Epiphany, which makes some sense. It is a bit odd to read, a mere five days after celebrating Jesus’ birth, a Gospel in which He is 12 years old. And then, next week, we have the Feast of Epiphany in which Jesus is an infant again.

Nevertheless, here we are. Perhaps, it is a good time to reflect on family life, as immediate and extended family often gather together during the Christmas season. Let us consider the family and marriage along three lines: structure, struggles, and strategy.

I. Structure – All through the readings for today’s Mass we are instructed on the basic form, the basic structure of the family.

God sets a father in honor over his children; a mother’s authority he confirms over her sons (Sirach 3:2).
May your wife be like a fruitful vine, in the recesses of your home; your children like olive plants, around your table (Psalm 128:3).
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 that they may not become discouraged (Colossians 3:20–21).
Each year, Jesus parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover … Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety … (Luke 2:45, 51).
And he was obedient to them … And Jesus advanced in age and wisdom and favor before God and man (Luke 2:51–52).

In these passages we see the basic structure of the family:

A father in honor over his children
A wife and mother who is supportive of her husband and his authority
A husband who supports, loves, and encourages his wife
A mother in authority over her children
Children who honor and obey their parents
Fathers, and by extension mothers, who instruct and admonish their children, not in a way that badgers or discourages them, but rather encourages them and builds them up
A family structure that helps children to advance in wisdom and age and in favor before God and man
A father, a mother, and children, all reverential and supportive of one another in their various roles and duties

Here, then, is God’s basic teaching on family and marriage. Here is the basic structure for the family as God sets it forth: a man who loves his wife and a woman who loves her husband. Within this stable, lasting, and faithful union of mutual support and love, they conceive and raise their children in the holy fear of the Lord.

Add to this the principal description of the book of Genesis, which describes how God sets forth marriage: A man shall leave his father and mother, cling to his wife, and the two of them shall become one flesh (Genesis 2:24). To this first couple, God gave the mandate, Be fruitful and multiply (Genesis 1:22).

Thus, we have set forth biblically the basic structure of the family: a father, a mother, and children, all reverential and supportive of one another in their various roles and duties.

Note how the structure of the family take its basic form in terms of its essential fruit: procreation and rearing of children. Why should marriage be a stable and lasting union? Why is Adam told to cling to his wife and to form a stable and lasting union with her?

Because this is what is best and most just for children! Children both need and deserve the stable and lasting union of a father and a mother, the complementary influences of the two sexes. This is the best environment in which to raise and form children. Hence, the family structure of a father and a mother, a male and female parent, flows from what is best and most just for children. The structure of the family, as set forth by God, is rooted in what is best and most just for children. It is what is sensible and what is best, sociologically and psychologically, for the proper development of children.

Even without looking in the Bible, one can see how sensible it is for a child to have the influence and teaching of both a father and a mother, a male and a female. There are things that a father can teach and model for his children that a mother is not as well-suited to impart; conversely, a mother can teach and model for her children things that only she knows best.

This much is clear: both male and female influences are essential for the proper psychological and sociological development of children. Clearly, then, God’s biblical mandate that marriage should consist of a father and a mother is not without basis in simple human reason and common sense.

To intentionally deprive a child of this environment is both unwise and unjust to children. Hence, we see that the basic structure for marriage takes its shape from what is best and most just for children. Both God and nature provide for a father and a mother, a male and a female, to conceive and raise a child.

It also makes sense based on simple human reasoning that the marital relationship should be stable, something that children can depend on from day to day, month to month, and year to year.

Here, then, is the proper structure for marriage. It is set forth both by God and supported by human reason.

II. Struggles – Yet what should be obvious seems to be strangely absent from the minds of many. Sin clouds our judgment and makes some think that what is sinful and improper is in fact acceptable or even good. It is not. In our current modern culture, we gravely sin against God and against our children through consistent misconduct and by refusing to accept what is obviously true. The words of St. Paul are fulfilled in our modern times: their senseless minds were darkened, and they became vain and foolish in their reasoning (Rom 1:21).

It is clear that the family is in crisis today, and it is also clear that it is children who suffer the most. The modern Western world displays a mentality that is both deeply flawed and gravely harmful to children.

Marriage and family are in crisis due the willfully sinful habits of many adults in the areas of sexuality, marriage, and family life. This includes sins such as cohabitation, fornication, abortion, adultery, homosexual acts, pornography, the sexualization of children, and the sexual abuse of children. Add to this the widespread acceptance of contraception, which has facilitated the illusion of sex without consequences and promoted the lie that there is no necessary connection between children and sexual relations. The rebellion of adults against the plan and order of God has caused endless grief and hardship and created a culture that is poisonous to the family, the dignity of the individual, and the proper raising and blessing of children.

III. Strategy – What are we to do? Preach the Word! Whatever the sins of this present generation (and there are many), we must be prepared to unambiguously re-propose the wisdom of God’s Word to our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Even if we have fallen short personally, we cannot hesitate to announce God’s plan for sexuality, marriage, and family.

Our strategic proclamation must include these key elements:

There must be no sex before marriage, ever, under any circumstances. Sexual intercourse is rooted in the procreation of children and there is no legitimate engagement in it outside of the bonds of marriage. There are no exceptions to this.
Children deserve and have the right to expect two parents, a father and mother, committed to each other until death do them part. Anything short of this is a grave injustice to children and a mortal sin before God.
Neither homosexual unions, nor single parent households are an acceptable alternative to biblical marriage. To allow children to be subjected to such environments for the sake of political correctness does them a grave injustice.
Marriage is about what is best for children, not adults.
Married couples must learn to work out their differences (as was done in the past) and not resort to divorce, which offends God (cf Malachi 2:16).
The needs of children far outweigh the preferences, “rights,” and needs of adults.

Whatever the personal failings of any of us in this present evil age (cf Gal 1:4), our strategy must be to preach the undiluted plan of God for sexuality, marriage, and family to our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

Back to the Bible! Back to the plan of God! Away with modern experiments and unbiblical schemes! God has given us a plan. Thinking that we know better, we have caused great sorrow and hardship for our descendants. We have acted unjustly; we have murdered our children through abortion. Sowing in the wind, we have caused those who have survived our misbehavior to inherit the whirlwind. It is time to repent and help our heirs to rejoice in chastity, marriage, and biblical family. Otherwise, we are doomed.

God has a plan and it must be our strategy, our way out of our struggles and back to His structure for our families.

This song says,

So, humbly I come to you and say
As I sound aloud the warfare of today
Hear me, I pray
What about the children?

Video

https://www.theworkofgod.org/Devotns/Euchrist/HolyMass/gospels.asp?key=41

Year C - The Holy Family

Don’t you know that I must be in my Father’s house?
Luke 2:41-52
41 And his parents went every year to Jerusalem, at the solemn day of the Passover,
42 And when he was twelve years old, they going up into Jerusalem, according to the custom of the feast,
43 And having fulfilled the days, when they returned, the child Jesus remained in Jerusalem; and his parents knew it not.
44 And thinking that he was in the company, they came a day’s journey, and sought him among their kinfolks and acquaintance.
45 And not finding him, they returned into Jerusalem, seeking him.
46 And it came to pass, that, after three days, they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, hearing them, and asking them questions.
47 And all that heard him were astonished at his wisdom and his answers.
48 And seeing him, they wondered. And his mother said to him: Son, why have you done this to us? behold your father and I have sought you sorrowing.
49 And he said to them: How is it that you sought me? did you not know, that I must be about my father’s business?
50 And they understood not the word that he spoke to them.
51 And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them. And his mother kept all these words in her heart.
52 And Jesus advanced in wisdom, and age, and grace with God and men.

Inspiration of the Holy Spirit - From the Sacred Heart of Jesus
My Mother Mary, and Joseph, my foster father, experienced my absence during three days, something symbolic about the three days that would happen after my death and also about the separation from God that every human being experiences.

Their joy was great when they found me in the Temple and I asked them why they were looking for me, didn’t they know that that I had to be in the House of my Father?

My coming into the world was to build the temple of God, I, in my physical presence as the Temple of His Holy Word and Divinity, the one that would be destroyed but also rebuilt in three days with my resurrection; and every human being who is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who was sent to the world after my death to be the counsellor, the guide, the paraclete, the consoler, the light of the conscience that calls every soul to know God.

Everyone who listens to my voice receives a call to holiness. I am the way to the perfection that God expects, that’s why I invite the soul to recollection, prayer, meditation and prayer, so that by these means he may enter in the interior temple where God listens and speaks, where a dialogue is established with the Creator who is always ready to welcome his children.

It is through these visitations to the altar of the interior temple, that the soul receives my blessings and my light; it is there that the Holy Spirit grants his gifts. It is there that I am always doing the work of my Father, who has sent me to raise this humanity from dust and darkness to light, from sin to grace, from the ailments and fragilities of human life to the glory and joy prepared for eternal life.

Author: Joseph of Jesus and Mary

Sunday Gospel Reflections

Holy Family Sunday
Reading I: Sir 3:3-7,14-17 II: Col 3:12-21

Gospel
Luke 2:41-52

⁴¹ Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the Passover.
⁴² And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom;
⁴³ and when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it,
⁴⁴ but supposing him to be in the company they went a day's journey, and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintances;
⁴⁵ and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking him.
⁴⁶ After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions;
⁴⁷ and all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.
⁴⁸ And when they saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, "Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been looking for you anxiously."
⁴⁹ And he said to them, "How is it that you sought me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?"
⁵⁰ And they did not understand the saying which he spoke to them.
⁵¹ And he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her heart.
⁵² And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God and man.

Interesting Details

Nazareth is about 85 miles from Jerusalem.
Only St. Luke reports this event. It is the fifth joyful mystery of the Rosary.
St. Luke reports only two journeys that Jesus made to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover. This event is the first, and the other immediately precedes his Passion. He was "lost" for three days in both events. The first marks the beginning of Jesus' adulthood as well as his mission. The last one marks the end of his mission as he rose victoriously after three days.
In Jewish society at the time of Jesus, boys and girls were at first primarily brought up by the women of the family. At the age of puberty, the boys made a transition and were reared primarily by their fathers or the men in the family.
When a boy reaches the age of twelve, the law of Moses requires that he journeys to Jerusalem for the Passover where, for the first time, he would be allowed to read the Words of God in the temple. This marks the beginning of his adulthood, and his care is transferred to the men in the family. It is a harsh transition for boys.
For such trips as the journey during the feast of Passover, the Jews traveled in large groups separate according to genders. Men and boys older than twelve travel together, while the women and smaller children travel in a separate group.
Mary must be joyful not finding the young Jesus with her thinking that he successfully made the transition to adulthood, electing to be with Joseph and all other boys. Joseph, on the other hand, felt disappointed to discover that Jesus was absent among the men. Joseph probably believed that the young Jesus still felt attached to his mother Mary. The young Jesus on the other hand made a spiritual transition into the care of God the Father.

One Main Point

One must, at some point in life, mature spiritually into the providence of God the Father and discover his own unique relation with God.

Reflections

Mary and Joseph nurtured the young Jesus spiritually so that he could reach the conclusion: "Did you know that I have to be in my Father's house?" Reflect on your one journey of faith. Who has nurtured you spiritually, and how? How and when did you discover your unique place in God's heart?
A family is the primary place to nurture spirituality. Read Luke (2:21-40) and contemplate the care that Mary and Joseph had for Jesus during his childhood. Contemplate your own spiritual responsibility in your family: the obstacles, the doubt, and the mission in bringing up your own children so that they will be able to grow into the wisdom and love of God.

Information: Bl. Eugenia Ravasco

Feast Day: December 30

Born: 4 January 1845 in Milan, Italy

Died: 30 December 1900 in Genoa, Italy

CATHOLIC ALMANAC

Sunday, 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.

Catholic Culture

Christmas: December 30th

Feast of the Holy Family

MASS READINGS

December 30, 2018 (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.

show

Recipes (1)

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

show

Activities (7)

show

Prayers (14)

show

Library (4)

» Enjoy our Liturgical Seasons series of e-books!

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.

Click here for commentary on the readings in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite.

Feast of the Holy Family - Day Six
Today is the feast day of the Holy Family, but also every family's feast day, since the Holy Family is the patron and model of all Christian families. Today should be a huge family feast, since it is devoted entirely to the Holy Family as a model for the Christian family life. As Rev. Edward Sutfin states:

"The children must learn to see in their father the foster-father St. Joseph, and the Blessed Mother as the perfect model for their own mother. The lesson to be learned is both practical and theoretical, in that the children must learn how to obey and to love their parents in thought, word and action, just as Christ was obedient to Mary and Joseph. Helping mother in the kitchen and in the house work, and helping father in his odd jobs about the home thus take on a new significance by being performed in a Christ-like spirit." (True Christmas Spirit, ©1955, St. Meinrad Archabbey, Inc.)

Day Six activity (Holy Family Celebration)
Day Six recipe (Popcorn Balls)

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:

Let us imitate the Holy Family in our Christian families, and our family will be a cell and a prefiguration of the heavenly family. Say a prayer dedicating your family to the Holy Family. Also pray for all families and for our country to uphold the sanctity of the marriage bond which is under attack.
Read more about Pope Leo XIII who instituted the Feast of the Holy Family and read his encyclical On Christian Marriage. You can also check out the Vatican's page of Papal documents on the Family.
Read the explanation of Jesus' knowledge in the activities section. Read Pope Pius X's Syllabus of Errors which condemns the modernist assertion that Christ did not always possess the consciousness of His Messianic dignity.
Have the whole family participate in cooking dinner. You might try a Lebanese meal. Some suggestions: stuffed grape leaves, stuffed cabbage rolls, lentils and rice, spinach and meat pies, chicken and dumplings, hummus, Lebanese bread, tabbouleh — a Lebanese salad and kibbi, a traditional Lebanese dish of specially ground meat mixed with spices and cracked wheat. This is the same kind of food that Mary served Jesus and St. Joseph. It's healthy and delicious.

The Word Among Us

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

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

Take care of your father when he is old. (Sirach 3:12)

Many of us are already living out Sirach’s exhortation. In fact, statistics show that in many developed countries, 20 percent of the population is caring for ill, disabled, or aged family members. And they are spending an average of 20 hours per week doing it.

We read this passage from Sirach on the feast of the Holy Family because it speaks to all of our families in a surprising way. It tells us that caring for an elderly family member brings unexpected blessings: forgiveness of sins, spiritual treasures, joy, answered prayers, even long life. Yes, it can be a burden at times, but the blessings far outweigh the burden.

Taking care of our parents does a lot for us spiritually. We see God’s self-giving love growing in us. As we walk with them in their later years, we find that we are also walking closer to the Lord. Our perspective on what’s important shifts, and we, too, begin thinking more about our heavenly home.

Blessing might not be the first thing you think of though. The idea of being a caregiver can be scary. Financial concerns, emotional strain, and burnout are real issues. You might struggle to find time to recharge yourself, or have trouble avoiding sibling resentments.

But the same study referred to previously also shows that more than 80 percent of caregivers report that the experience is rewarding. They feel satisfaction from giving back to someone who sacrificed for them, they know they’re providing quality care, and they feel increased meaning and purpose in life.

If you are currently caring for an elderly loved one, take heart! God is pleased by your efforts and is pouring out grace on you. If you are on the receiving end, know that you are a blessing to your loved ones. If you anticipate a time when you will need to do more for your parents, don’t worry. Everything you do to honor and care for them will bless you.

“Lord, help me to honor and love my family.”

Psalm 128:1-5
Colossians 3:12-21
Luke 2:41-52

Daily Gospel Commentary

Saint John-Paul II
Pope from 1978 to 2005
General audience, 29th December 1993 - Copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana

"He lived our human condition in everything"

Almost immediately after his birth, the gratuitous violence that threatened the life of Jesus fell down on many other families too, provoking the death of the Holy Innocents. By recalling this terrible episode of the life of the Son of God, that involved also the life of other children of his time, the Church is invited to pray for all the families menaced from the inside and from the outside...The Holy Family of Nazareth is a permanent challenge for us, that obliges us to go further in the understanding of the mystery of the “domestic church” and of each human family. It is for us an incentive to pray for the families and with the families, and to share with them all their joys and hopes, but also their preoccupations and fears.

Actually, the experience of the family is called to become a daily offertory, as a holy offering to God, a gift of pleasing fragrance. The Gospel of the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple suggests us this same idea. Jesus, the light of the world but also “a sign that will be contradicted” (Lk 2:32.34), desires to receive this offering of each family as he receives the bread and wine in the Eucharist. He wants to join to the bread and wine destined to transubstantiation these human hopes and joys, but also the inevitable sufferings and preoccupations of each family, by incorporating them to the mystery of his Body and his Blood. He then in turn gives them back - the same Body and Blood - in the communion, as a source of spiritual energy, not only for each single person but also for each family.

May the Holy Family of Nazareth give us an always-deeper understanding of the vocation of each family, that finds in Christ the source of its dignity and of its holiness.

A Christian Pilgrim

LOST AND FOUND

(A biblical reflection on THE FEAST OF THE HOLY FAMILY – SUNDAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF CHRISTMAS, 30 December 2018)

Gospel Reading: Luke 2:41-52

First Reading: 1 Samuel 1:20-22,24-28; Psalms: Psalm 84:2-3,5-5,9-10; Second Reading: 1 John 3:1-2,21-24

The Scripture Text

Now His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the Passover. And when He was twelve years old, they went up according to custom; and when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, but supposing Him to be in the company they went a day’s journey, and they sought Him among their kinsfolk and acquaintances; and when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him. After three days they found Him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions; and all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers. And when they saw Him they were astonished; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You treated us so? Behold, Your father and I have been looking for You anxiously.” And He said to them, “How is it that you sought Me? Did you know that I must be in My Father’s house?” And they did not understand the saying which He spoke them. And He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and His mother kept all these things in her heart.

And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God and man. (Luke 2:41-52 RSV)

The Gospel according to Luke is the only Gospel that says anything about the years between Jesus’ birth and the beginning of His public ministry. Today’s reading is about the journey Joseph, Mary, and Jesus made to Jerusalem to celebrate the feast of Passover when Jesus was only twelve years old. Jewish law mandated all adult males living within fifteen miles of Jerusalem visit the Temple on three major feasts: Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles. Custom, however, required those living too far from the holy city to make the pilgrimage only during passsover.

The fact Jesus was twelve years old is significant because a Jewish boy became an adult at age thirteenth, a milestone marked today by celebrating a bar-mitzvah. “Bar-mitzvah” means “son of the law”; it is a momentous event because from then on the boy must observe all Jewish laws, something the rabbis in Jesus’ day considered women and children too weak to do.

Adulthood also brought the boy special honors. Prayers in the synagogue could not begin unless there were at least ten adult males present and only an adult male could read from the Torah scroll during the services. Therefore, to prepare for this privilege, Jewish boys usually attended the synagogue school where the rabbi taught them how to read from Sacred Scripture, making them more learned than other people in the world at that time.

Joseph and Mary probably took Jesus with them to Jerusalem to acquaint Him with the Temple and its surroundings as part of His preparation for adulthood. Entire towns often made thes pilgrimages to the Temple together, the women travelling as one group and the men as another group not far behind them. On their way, Mary thought Jesus was with Joseph, and Joseph thought He was with Mary. The fact that several of Jesus’ aunts, uncles, and cousins also lived in the same town and were probably traveling with the group also complicated things since this made it possible Jesus was with one of them.

Returning to Jerusalem, Joseph and Mary found Jesus in the Temple, listening to the rabbis and asking them questions, the Jewish way of describing a student learning from his teachers. Relieved but also a little angry, Mary scolded Jesus for making them look three days for Him. Bewildered, Jesus responded to His mother with a comment that meant, “But Mom, I did what I thought was right. You know how eager I am to become an adult in our religion, so I stayed here in the Temple thinking that would be the first place you’d look for Me.” What mother could argue with that kind of logic?

Raising a child is not easy, even if the child is the Son of God.

(Adapted from Jerome J. Sabatowich, Cycling Through the Gospels – Gospel Commentaries for Cycles A, B, and C, pages 242-243.)

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I consecrate my family to You and ask You to bless our home. I trust in Your love for all the members of my family. Give me power and wisdom by Your Holy Spirit; guide me in loving those who are closest to me. I also pray for all parents, especially those who are having difficulty with their children. Amen.

The Gospel in Pictures and Captions

Marriage = One Man and One Woman Until Death Do Us Part

Daily Marriage Tip for December 30, 2018:

“As the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do.” (Col 3:13) A big part of being a holy family is giving and receiving forgiveness. “I’m sorry / I forgive you” are part of the daily litany of the Domestic Church. Never hesitate to say these healing words.

Reflections from Scott Hahn

Our True Home: Scott Hahn Reflects on the Feast of the Holy Family

Download Audio File

The Holy Family, Juan Simón Gutiérrez, 1680

Readings:
Sirach 3:2–6, 12–14
Psalm 128:1–5
Colossians 3:12–21
Luke 2:41–52

Why did Jesus choose to become a baby born of a mother and father and to spend all but His last years living in an ordinary human family? In part, to reveal God’s plan to make all people live as one “holy family” in His Church (see 2 Corinthians 6:16–18).

In the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, God reveals our true home. We’re to live as His children, “chosen ones, holy and beloved,” as the First Reading puts it.

The family advice we hear in today’s readings—for mothers, fathers and children—is all solid and practical. Happy homes are the fruit of our faithfulness to the Lord, we sing in today’s Psalm. But the Liturgy is inviting us to see more, to see how, through our family obligations and relationships, our families become heralds of the family of God that He wants to create on earth.

Jesus shows us this in today’s Gospel. His obedience to His earthly parents flows directly from His obedience to the will of His heavenly Father. Joseph and Mary aren’t identified by name, but three times are called His “parents” and are referred to separately as His “mother” and “father.” The emphasis is all on their familial ties to Jesus. But these ties are emphasized only so that Jesus, in the first words He speaks in Luke’s Gospel, can point us beyond that earthly relationship to the Fatherhood of God.

In what Jesus calls “My Father’s house,” every family finds its true meaning and purpose (see Ephesians 3:15). The Temple we read about in the Gospel today is God’s house, His dwelling (see Luke 19:46). But it’s also an image of the family of God, the Church (see Ephesians 2:19–22; Hebrews 3:3–6; 10:21).

In our families we’re to build up this household, this family, this living temple of God. Until He reveals His new dwelling among us, and says of every person: “I shall be his God and he will be My son” (see Revelation 21:3, 7).

Feast of the Holy Family - In our Father's house

"I must be in my Father's house"

Luke 2: 41-52

The Word for Sunday: http://usccb.org/bible/readings/123018.cfm

We priests are constantly searching for good homily material. In the ordinary events of life, we often find them.

About thirty years ago one Sunday after the last Mass and the usual coffee and donut fellowship, I said my “goodbye” to the largest family in the parish who had 15 children of various ages from young adult on down to the youngest who was a little girl about two years old at the time. Yes, 15 children and all from the same set of parents with no twins!

Well, after they left, we suddenly noticed that out of the restroom comes their little two year old girl on the verge of tears looking for her mother! Everyone knew who she was and casually stated: “O, they’ll be back soon to get her.” One of the women stood by the child and sure enough, within about ten minutes, her mother came rushing into the hall with a smile and a tone of embarrassment said, “Sorry, we thought she was in the other car.”

She bent down, gently picked up her daughter and quickly left the room with a laugh and wave. Everyone took this in stride without any real concern. I stood there not quite sure how to interpret this humorous family scene. One could understand how in the midst of their family chaos and shared responsibility such a thing might happen. I’m sure there was a bit of family discussion among the older siblings as to who was supposed to care for her.

Later I thought what great homily material that moment would make. Sure enough, our Gospel this Sunday on this beautiful Feast of the Holy Family provides us with a very human scene. It reveals not only ancient Jewish culture but also how holiness is lived out in the everyday realism of life.

Jesus is twelve years old, the age of transition from being raised primarily by his Jewish mother and the company of women, responsible for his education and formation, to enter the world of adult men under the tutelage of his father. It would not be uncommon for a twelve year old Jewish boy to no longer seek the company of women as when younger but to now join the men and to learn from them certain skills and trades.

Yet, in the familiar Temple scene we see both parents who are filled with anguish and deep concern after not finding Jesus for three days. Perhaps Mary may have assumed Jesus was now among the men of the caravan returning to Nazareth after Passover celebrations.

Not finding him there, they both return in a desperate search for three days. Mary’s comment to Jesus on finding him, more of a scold we might imagine, as to “Why have you done this to us?” is met by Jesus’ somewhat naïve remark: “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” This seems on one level to be a bit dismissive of his parent’s obvious anguish. In fact, Mary and Joseph were puzzled by Jesus remark. His mission is yet to mature both in his own awareness and that of Mary and Joseph. Still, in the end, Jesus submits to their authority and returns with them to Nazareth where he continues to advance in wisdom and favor before God and man.

This reveals how human a story this is; how ordinary with all the parent and child dynamics of growing up and learning to adjust to one another’s positions and responsibilities. As God embraced humanity in its fullness, except for personal sin, he even accepted a limited human understanding that needed to mature. Yet, it is far more than just a personal family story from the life of the young Jesus; about the only thing we know for certain of his formative life during the Nazareth years.

In our first reading from Samuel we see that Hannah, beyond child bearing years, has been praying for a son. God answered her prayer and she gave birth to a son whom she named Samuel. Filled with gratitude, she makes an oath to dedicate Samuel to God at a young age. She returns to the Temple, at this time at Shiloh, and the priest Eli. There she leaves the young Samuel at the Temple in service to the Lord. Unlike the mother I described at the parish and Mary and Joseph in the Gospel, Hannah leaves the child rather than taking him.

But, the point is that these are parents who knew their life was focused around the Lord in whose plan they had participated. Hannah’s sees the bigger picture beyond herself as where that child should truly be; in service of God. We all have a place and our mission in life is to know where God is calling us and to carry that out. To know this and to do it is holiness.

For Mary and Joseph, they knew what God asked of them yet not all. They lived a life with Jesus in which God remained the center of their identity in obedient practice as faithful Jews. In spite of their lack of full understanding at times, the gradual awareness of their mission and even more of their mysterious child, they still walked in lives of trust and love and remained faithful.

For the young Jesus, he too needed to come to an awareness of his identity and what his Father was asking of him. How the mystery of God is at work in these scenes seems a combination of both human limitations and Divine plan but isn’t that what in the end we all are facing?

Jesus had understood that he had a greater call beyond his own earthly family life yet he submitted to the authority of his parents. How and where we learn and work out our place in God’s plan is both a combination of human experience and Divine intervention for us.

Mary and Joseph knew that Jesus was human yet mysterious. The entire purpose of his mission was hidden from their understanding as well but they carried on. They remained consistent in their faith, following what had been revealed to them and trusting in a plan that was still larger than themselves. It is clear their holiness, and ours, lies in this. For Mary, Joseph, Hannah, and Jesus himself God was the center of it all.

The same call is here for all families. How many couples on the day of their wedding know what their future will be? As organized and predictable as we may try to arrange our lives, we must live with the reality that life provides very few guarantees. If we order our lives with God at the center, all will go as planned.

For this Holy Family, proper worship was essential and to see themselves as connected to the larger Jewish tradition gave them direction and purpose; so for us in the Church and our connection to the larger picture. To participate in a cause greater than ourselves, God’s plan for each of us is the path to holiness.

May we be holy through lives of faithfulness in the state of life we find ourselves even when we find ourselves in doubt. Let God be center stage and allow him to direct the action. That is a path to be holy in our Father’s house.

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.

(Collect of Mass)

Regnum Christi

December 30, 2018 – A Joy for the Whole Family

30 Dec 2018

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

Father Jason Smith, LC

Luke 2:41-52

Each year his parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, and when he was twelve years old, they went up according to festival custom. After they had completed its days, as they were returning, the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. Thinking that he was in the caravan, they journeyed for a day and looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances, but not finding him, they returned to Jerusalem to look for him. After three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions, and all who heard him were astounded at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him, they were astonished, and his mother said to him, “Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have 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?” But they did not understand what he said to them. He went down with them and came to Nazareth and was obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her heart. And Jesus advanced in wisdom and age and favor before God and man.

Introductory Prayer: Lord, I believe in you. I place myself before you. Thank you for the gift of faith. How can I ever repay you for it? Jesus, I hope in you. May your presence today keep my will set on glorifying you. Lord, I love you and I long for my heart to be filled with your love.

Petition: Lord Jesus Christ, help me to value and promote the sanctity of the family.