Sunday, December 31, 2017

Reality and faith

The large theme of faith is addressed in the texts of the Roman Catholic Lectionary for the Feast of the Holy Family on the Sunday between Christmas and New Year.
 We find that the ideal of family life is often not the same as our real and sometimes messy family situations. In Chapter 15 of Genesis we hear of Abraham’s act of faith in God’s promises. 
* [15:6] Abraham’s act of faith in God’s promises was regarded as an act of righteousness, i.e., as fully expressive of his relationship with God. St. Paul (Rom 4:1–25; Gal 3:6–9) makes Abraham’s faith a model for Christians.
In Chapter 21 of Genesis the long-awaited birth of Isaac the son of Sarah occurs after the birth of Ishmael, son of the Egyptian maidservant named Hagar, in chap. 16.
* [21:1–21] The long-awaited birth of Isaac parallels the birth of Ishmael in chap. 16, precipitating a rivalry and expulsion as in that chapter. Though this chapter is unified, the focus of vv. 1–7 is exclusively on Sarah and Isaac, and the focus of vv. 8–21 is exclusively on Hagar and Ishmael. The promise of a son to the barren Sarah and elderly Abraham has been central to the previous chapters and now that promise comes true with the birth of Isaac. The other great promise, that of land, will be resolved, at least in an anticipatory way, in Abraham’s purchase of the cave at Machpelah in chap. 23. The parallel births of the two boys has influenced the Lucan birth narratives of John the Baptist and Jesus (Lk 1–2).
George Butterfield comments that Abraham trusted God from the beginning but had to learn how to stop telling God how to be God. He prays that perhaps in 2018 we, too, will learn that God is not only trustworthy but that his ways are not our ways. 
Our Genesis reading for today comes from the 15th and 21st chapters of Genesis. In between those chapters you can read about Abraham's second proposal. Abraham has a son by one of his slaves. Since it is his own issue, Abraham just knows that God will fulfill his promise through this particular son. Again, God says No; you will have a son through your wife, Sarah. At this, Abraham laughs in God's face. Sarah also laughs. God, you made me a promise and we believe you. However, this way of fulfilling your promise is impossible. Sarah cannot have children. When Sarah becomes pregnant and has a son, Abraham and Sarah are so blown away by it that they remember how they laughed at the prospect and name their son Isaac which means "he who laughs." Every time they see Laughing Boy they remember that they laughed at God's promise right up until the day when they laughed for joy at this bouncing baby boy.
The author of the Letter to the Hebrews describes the results of faith in the lives of biblical personages in our salvation history. 
In view of the needs of his audience he describes what authentic faith does, not what it is in itself. Through faith God guarantees the blessings to be hoped for from him, providing evidence in the gift of faith that what he promises will eventually come to pass (Heb 11:1). Because they accepted in faith God’s guarantee of the future, the biblical personages discussed in Heb 11:3–38 were themselves commended by God (Heb 11:2). Christians have even greater reason to remain firm in faith since they, unlike the Old Testament men and women of faith, have perceived the beginning of God’s fulfillment of his messianic promises (Heb 11:39–40).
The Gospel of Luke depicts the parents of Jesus as devout Jews who are faithful observers of the law of the Lord. 
* [2:22–40] The presentation of Jesus in the temple depicts the parents of Jesus as devout Jews, faithful observers of the law of the Lord (Lk 2:23–24, 39), i.e., the law of Moses. In this respect, they are described in a fashion similar to the parents of John (Lk 1:6) and Simeon (Lk 2:25) and Anna (Lk 2:36–37).
The challenges of the Holy Family are explored by Anthony Towey, who would love to hear more poems of the Holy Family that go beneath the glitz, through the turmoil and fathom the depth; poems that in turn could become prayers that capture their hope, that capture their faith, that capture their love. 
It is a truism to say that Luke’s is Mary’s nativity of joy while Matthew reports Joseph’s story of sorrow. The star that attracts the Magi, the wise from the ends of the earth, also attracts the unwise Herod from much nearer home.
The Companions of St Anthony present the reflection of Friar Jude Winkler for this feast in 2016. The ideas in the Letter to the Colossians 3:12-21 go beyond the Stoic philosophy of the time by viewing marriage as a partnership. 

 Friar Jude recognizes that human patience and gentleness wears thin and we become annoyed and he recommends that we turn to prayer. Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, shares that we all have the same objective gift, of the indwelling divine image, but different ways of saying yes and consenting to it.
The indwelling divine image moves toward fulfillment in each of us throughout our lifetimes. “Likeness” refers to our personal and unique embodiment of that inner divine image. It is our gradual realization of this gift. We all have the same objective gift, but different ways of saying yes and consenting to it. There are as many ways to manifest God as there are beings in the universe. Our personal and collective embodiments reveal aspects of the sacred through our personhood, relationships, fields of work and study, culture, economy, politics, and justice. Though we differ in likeness, the imago Dei persists and shines through all created things.
The sometimes messy and challenging arena of family life is an opportunity to deepen faith as we seek peace and patience, saying yes to the ways of God and living as the witnesses to the Divine Image that dwells in our being. 

 References
(n.d.). Genesis, chapter 15 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved December 31, 2017, http://www.usccb.org/bible/genesis/15:1

(n.d.). Genesis, chapter 21 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved December 31, 2017, http://www.usccb.org/bible/genesis/21:1  
(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved December 31, 2017, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html

(n.d.). Hebrews, chapter 11 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved December 31, 2017, http://www.usccb.org/bible/hebrews/11:8

(n.d.). Luke, chapter 2 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved December 31, 2017, http://www.usccb.org/bible/luke/2:22

(2014, December 26). Jesus: Who Do You Think You Are? 6. Mary and Joseph - Thinking Faith. Retrieved December 31, 2017, from http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/jesus-who-do-you-think-you-are-6-mary-and-joseph


(n.d.). Daily Meditations Archives - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved December 31, 2017, from https://cac.org/category/daily-meditations/

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