The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph

December 29, 2018

Alleluia, Alleluia.

Open our hearts of Lord,

to listen to the words of your Son.

Alleluia, Alleluia.

 

A reading from the holy Gospel according to St. Luke 2: 41-52

Each year Jesus’ 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.

The Gospel of the Lord

 

REFLECTION by Monsignor Joseph T. Marino

Saint Luke’s Gospel revolves around three significant revelations for our continued reflection and meditation during this beautiful Christmas Season.  The first two revelations concern the identity of Jesus Christ, and the last point centers on the appropriate response of a disciple as exhibited by Mary, His mother.

As its first revelation, the Gospel proclaims that Jesus Christ, the Son of God and the son of Mary is the WISDOM of God.  While Jesus was born humbly in the presence of an ox and ass and laid in a manger, He is the ultimate teacher of God 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.  Even now at this Liturgy, Jesus Christ is the Word of God sitting in our midst teaching us the ways of God.  Jesus Christ is the Wisdom of God that truly guides our lives according to the heart and will of God.  Jesus Christ is the complete and full manifestation of God.

The second revelation comes from the lips of Jesus Himself: Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?  It is in the Temple that the twelve year old Jesus first manifested his mission to preach and teach the Wisdom of God. Indeed, the Son can only do what He sees the Father do — the Son is about the work of the Father.  In Saint Luke’s Gospel it is in the Temple that Jesus will end His teaching ministry (Luke 19:41 – 21:38).  Now the scholars of the Law are amazed but later they will oppose Jesus and the Wisdom of God found in Jesus. How fickle the human mind and heart is. 

And lastly, but still very important is the response of the disciple to the challenges offered by the Wisdom of God.  The faithful disciple never tires of listening to the Word of God.  Each day the disciple is to imitate Blessed Mary by keeping all these things in one’s heart.   The challenge of the Gospel is to be met by pondering the Word and allowing God to enlighten our hearts.  Mary pondered the events and wisdom of her son and placed them into her life — Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled!

The Gospel clearly proclaims: Jesus Christ, the Way, the Truth and the Life sent by the Father to show us the Way, to be for us the Truth, and to give us Life that will never end!  May we be now and always faith disciples like Mary who enlighten our days by hanging on His words (Luke 19:48).

HAVE A BLESSED CHRISTMAS … And may God bless us and our families, and make them Holy

Prosit,

Monsignor Joseph Marino