Saturday, December 30, 2017

Homily for Holy Family Feast

Feast of Holy Family 2017
A Reflection by Rev. Bob Johnnene OFM
Mission Sts. Sergius & Bacchus/ Franciscans of Mercy/Divine Mercy Parish
Reformed Catholic Church
Hopkinton/Upton MA


The Gospel from Luke tell us the following; “Joseph and Mary, in the company of Jesus, go as pilgrims to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover” (Lk 2:41-52).
In his homily for the feast of The Holy Family Father Thomas Rosica, CSB of Toronto begins this way; “In the afterglow of Christmas, the Church celebrates the feast of the Holy Family. This weekend we are invited to reflect on the gift and mystery of life and the blessing of family life in particular.”
In Luke's Gospel scene of the Presentation of the Child Jesus in the Temple in Jerusalem, we encounter four individuals who embrace the new life of Jesus held in their arms: the elderly and faithful Simeon, the old, wise prophetess Anna, and the young couple, Mary and Joseph, who in faithful obedience offer their child to the Lord. Simeon's beautiful prayer "Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel" (Luke 2:29-32). 
The whole scene of the Presentation and the carefully chosen words of Simeon's prayer raise several questions for us and I believe them to be these; how are we, as followers of Christ’s teachings living those teachings?  How do we treat those children of God that we encounter daily on our life journeyespecially those often refered too as “Street People” or “Beggers”?
Do we discriminate against some of God’s children because we feel they do not conform to our way of life, are a different color, race, nationality or sexual orientation than we are?
The gospel of Matthew 2: which we hear today tells of St. Joseph’s complete trust in Almighty God and is but another lesson for us to put our complete trust in God for all things. 
The word made flesh, the light of the world, was Jesus Christ and he made it quite clear as to how we should live our lives in order to please the Father/Creator who sent him.
Pope Francis in his homily on the feast of the Holy Family had this reminder to all of us; “How important it is for our families to journey together towards a single goal!  We know that we have a road to travel together; a road along which we encounter difficulties but also enjoy moments of joy and consolation.  And on this pilgrimage of life we also share in moments of prayer”
In my life, my mother and father taught me to always say “Good Night and God bless You” The Pope went further reminding us that we need; “To bless them, that is, to entrust them to the Lord, just like Elkanah and Anna, Joseph and Mary, so that God can be their protection and support throughout the day.”.
The Gospel from Like 2: verse 51 ends telling us; “At the end of that pilgrimage, Jesus returned to Nazareth and was obedient to his parents. Returning home, Jesus surely remained close to them, as a sign of his complete affection and obedience. 
Christ taught us who our neighbor was when he told the parable of THE GOOD SAMARATON.  Our neighbor is everyone on the planet regardless of race, nationality, sexual orientation, married or single. 
If we are to be true followers of Christ we need to treat all people alike and treat them with dignity and respect. We need to stop aggression and greed.  We need to put an end to poverty and care for the sick, aged, and poor.  We need to educate all the children of the world and proclaim and acknowledge God by what ever name.  Every person in this world is a part of the Family of God.
The Holy Family is the example of how families should be.  Mary was the Theotokos, (God bearer)
Joseph the descendant of David and earthly foster father of the Christ child was a faithful follower of the Jewish faith and a firm believer in the creator/God and accepted God’s will even though he knew he might be scorned for having “sired” a child without being married to Mary. 
Joseph heeded the messengers of God who came to him twice without question but with faith.
As the words in that wonderful Sister Sledge song WE ARE FAMILY say; “We are family I got all my sisters and brothers with me.  We are family …. Have faith in you and the things you do.  You won't go wrong.
On this feast of the Holy Family let us realize that we, every man, woman and child on the face of the earth is a part of the family of God. 
Let us strive to live together in harmony and peace.  Let us seek ways to end injustice, poverty, homelessness, addiction, war and begin to care for one another as Christ cared for all He encountered.

AMEN

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