The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to thanksgiving for our family relationships through which we learn and practice love that is shared with our wider community.
Loving and learning
The reading from the Book of Sirach outlines responsibilities to parents and calls us to honour father and mother.
* [3:1–16] Besides the virtues that must characterize our conduct toward God, special duties are enjoined, such as honor and respect toward parents, with corresponding blessings (vv. 1–9). By showing such respect especially to old and infirm parents (vv. 10–13), the sins of children are pardoned (vv. 14–15). Failure to honor father and mother is blasphemy and merits a curse from God (v. 16). Cf. Ex 20:12; Eph 6:2–3.1
Psalm 128 praises the fruitfulness of the happy home of the faithful.
* [Psalm 128] A statement that the ever-reliable God will bless the reverent (Ps 128:1). God’s blessing is concrete: satisfaction and prosperity, a fertile spouse and abundant children (Ps 128:2–4). The perspective is that of the adult male, ordinarily the ruler and representative of the household to the community. The last verses extend the blessing to all the people for generations to come (Ps 128:5–6).2
The reading from the Letter to the Colossians expresses rules for Christian households in the community influenced by Stoic philosophy of the time.
* [3:5–17] In lieu of false asceticism and superstitious festivals, the apostle reminds the Colossians of the moral life that is to characterize their response to God through Christ. He urges their participation in the liturgical hymns and prayers that center upon God’s plan of salvation in Christ (Col 3:16).3
The Gospel of Luke describes encounters with Simeon and Anna as Jesus is presented in the Temple.
* [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).4
Jeanne Schuler shares that in family we learn our worth. Some must search for the family that knows how to love. In being loved we heal, face our demons, and are set free. We uncover the beauty that dwells within imperfection. How we are not measured by our achievements. How each catches the light in her own irreplaceable way. How God finds us in our struggles to be faithful and forgiving.
In Fratelli Tutti, Pope Francis shows how love moves us into the world, if we let it. In scripture we connect to ancestors like Abraham, whose descendants exceed the starry night. We find our sisters crowded into refugee camps; our brother is chased on his bike and shot like an animal. What is learned in family will expand for those open to the labor of love. We honor family, church, and nation … but love rejects a “culture of walls.”5
Don Schwager quotes “Christ who was rich became poor,” by Origen of Alexandria (185-254 AD).
"For this reason it seems wonderful that the sacrifice of Mary was not the first offering, that is, 'a lamb a year old,' but the second, since 'she could not afford' (Leviticus 5:7) the first. For as it was written about her, Jesus' parents came 'to offer a sacrifice' for him,'according to what is said in the law of the Lord, "a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons."' But this also shows the truth of what was written, that Jesus Christ 'although he was rich, became a poor man' (2 Corinthians 8:9). Therefore, for this reason, he chose both a poor mother, from whom he was born, and a poor homeland, about which it is said, 'But you, O Bethlehem Ephratha, who are little to be among the clans of Judah' (Micah 5:2), and the rest. (excerpt from HOMILIES ON LEVITICUS 8.4.3)6
The Word Among Us Meditation on Colossians 3:12-21 comments that whatever Mary and Joseph and Jesus thought about their struggles, one thing is clear. They never gave up. In their faithfulness and trust—and even more so, in their commitment to love one another—they show us how to weather the storms of life.
Love. That’s what makes a holy family. Not the sentimental love of songs and movies but the strong, relentless, stubborn love of God. The divine love that the Spirit pours into our hearts (Romans 5:5). The selfless love that bears all things, hopes all things, and forgives all things. The pure love of a God who became one of us and died to save us. No family has a perfect life. Every family faces hardships of one sort or another. But every family also has a heavenly Father who loves them and delights in teaching them how to love each other. So on this feast of the Holy Family, let’s pray for our families, and for every family on earth. May we all learn to “put on love” (Colossians 3:14)! “Father, pour out your merciful, healing love on every family today.”7
In December 2018, the Reflection on the Lectionary texts in this blog drew some conclusions.
Living out our responsibilities in family is the foundation for the happy home described by the psalmist and provides a buffer to survive the difficulties that are also inherent in our relationships.8
Friar Jude Winkler recognizes the difficulty that sometimes comes with care of elderly parents. The call for mutual obligations in Colossians goes beyond the Stoic philosophy of an ordered life at that time. Friar Jude reminds us of the difficulty for Mary to pray the “Shema Israel” and struggle with the Word that pierced her thoughts.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, shares that at the Center for Action and Contemplation, we seek to ground compassionate action in contemplative, nondual consciousness. When we experience the reality of our oneness with God, others, and creation, actions of justice and healing naturally follow. If we’re working to create a more whole world, contemplation will give our actions nonviolent, loving power for the long haul.
The civil rights leader John Lewis (1940–2020) has been an inspiration to many of us this year. How did this saintly public man avoid deeper recognition for so long? His words read like a prayer for contemplative action: Study the path of others to make your way easier and more abundant. Lean toward the whispers of your own heart, discover the universal truth, and follow its dictates. Know that the truth always leads to love and the perpetuation of peace. Its products are never bitterness and strife. Clothe yourself in the work of love, in the revolutionary work of nonviolent resistance against evil. Anchor the eternity of love in your own soul and embed this planet with goodness. Release the need to hate, to harbor division, and the enticement of revenge. Release all bitterness. Hold only love, only peace in your heart, knowing that the battle of good to overcome evil is already won. Choose confrontation wisely, but when it is your time don’t be afraid to stand up, speak up, and speak out against injustice. And if you follow your truth down the road to peace and the affirmation of love, if you shine like a beacon for all to see, then the poetry of all the great dreamers and philosophers is yours to manifest in a nation, a world community, and a Beloved Community that is finally at peace with itself. [1]9
We are thankful for family as the “small Church” in which our faith and humility is the foundation to grow in compassion, kindness, and justice for all.
References
No comments:
Post a Comment