Celebración de la palabra

Sunday December 29, 2019

HOLY FAMILY

1. Pleasing the Lord
2. When Jesus Was A Child

Greeting

The Lord loves you.
In our families and communities
may the Lord unite you in his love
and may you do everything in his name.
His peace be always with you. R/ And also with you.

Introduction

1. Pleasing the Lord

Every family has its cares and worries. On today’s feast of the Holy Family we are shown that Mary and Joseph and Jesus had more than their share of problems and woes, especially that the very reason and heart of this family was Jesus, this bewildering son. They did everything for him. What is typical in the Holy Family is that in everything they sought God’s will; the same is true for Jesus, God’s will was to be his food and drink. Let the heart of our families, be like that of Jesus, and together with Mary and Joseph may we ask ourselves what God wants of us and joyfully do it.

2. When Jesus Was a Child

Of what value for our Christian living are the ordinary things we do every day, like eating and cleaning, talking and writing? What have they to do with our faith? A look at the hidden life of Jesus will help us understand and appreciate these things. Before he went out to preach and heal, he did all these common, banal things. And through these, he saved us. If we can do them like he did and with him, they are good and holy, and through them we give worship to God.

Penitential Act

Let us ask pardon from the Lord
that we have often done carelessly
the common tasks of everyday life.
(pause)
Lord Jesus, you grew up in Nazareth
and lived as the son of the local carpenter.
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.

Lord Jesus Christ, to work with your hands
was part of your human dignity.
Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.

Lord Jesus, through your life in the Holy Family
you sanctified the ordinary tasks
of everyday life.
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.

Have mercy on us, Lord,
and forgive us all our sins.
May our lives give you worship
and lead us to everlasting life. R/ Amen.

Opening Prayer

Let us pray
that God may bless our families
(pause)
God our Father,
you let Mary and Joseph
provide the warmth of a home
to your own Son, Jesus Christ.
Let Jesus become the heart and center
of all our Christian families.
May we all grow up in him
and become closer to one another
in patience and love.
With the Holy Family of Nazareth,
may we seek your will in all we do.
We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord. R/ Amen.

First Reading: Honor Your Father and Your Mother

The two foundations of family life are love and respect, says the Bible. Should these two virtues not remain the cornerstone of our homes today?

Reading 1: Sir 3:2-6, 12-14

God sets a father in honor over his children;
a mother's authority he confirms over her sons.
Whoever honors his father atones for sins,
and preserves himself from them.
When he prays, he is heard;
he stores up riches who reveres his mother.
Whoever honors his father is gladdened by children,
and, when he prays, is heard.
Whoever reveres his father will live a long life;
he who obeys his father brings comfort to his mother.

My son, take care of your father when he is old;
grieve him not as long as he lives.
Even if his mind fail, be considerate of him;
revile him not all the days of his life;
kindness to a father will not be forgotten,
firmly planted against the debt of your sins
—a house raised in justice to you.

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 128:1-2, 3, 4-5.

R. (cf. 1) Blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways.
Blessed is everyone who fears the LORD,
who walks in his ways!
For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork;
blessed shall you be, and favored.
R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways.
Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine
in the recesses of your home;
your children like olive plants
around your table.
R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways.
Behold, thus is the man blessed
who fears the LORD.
The LORD bless you from Zion:
may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life.
R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways.

Second Reading: Life in the Lord

Say and do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, and you will have the right relationship with God and with people.

Reading 2: Col 3:12-21

Brothers and sisters:
Put on, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved,
heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience,
bearing with one another and forgiving one another,
if one has a grievance against another;
as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do.
And over all these put on love,
that is, the bond of perfection.
And let the peace of Christ control your hearts,
the peace into which you were also called in one body.
And be thankful.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly,
as in all wisdom you teach and admonish one another,
singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs
with gratitude in your hearts to God.
And whatever you do, in word or in deed,
do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God the Father through him.

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 they may not become discouraged.

Or: Col 3:12-17

Brothers and sisters:
Put on, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved,
heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience,
bearing with one another and forgiving one another,
if one has a grievance against another;
as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do.
And over all these put on love,
that is, the bond of perfection.
And let the peace of Christ control your hearts,
the peace into which you were also called in one body.
And be thankful.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly,
as in all wisdom you teach and admonish one another,
singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs
with gratitude in your hearts to God.
And whatever you do, in word or in deed,
do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Alleluia: Col 3:15a, 16a

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Let the peace of Christ control your hearts;
let the word of Christ dwell in your richly.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel: On the Road with the Lord

With his family Jesus relives the history of the People of God: from the Holy Land to Egypt, from Egypt to the Holy Land. Mary and Joseph accept to be uprooted and inconvenienced by the coming of the Savior.

Gospel: Mt 2:13-15, 19-23

When the magi had departed, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said,
"Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt,
and stay there until I tell you.

Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him."
Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night
and departed for Egypt.
He stayed there until the death of Herod,
that what the Lord had said through the prophet might be fulfilled,
Out of Egypt I called my son.

When Herod had died, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared in a dream
to Joseph in Egypt and said,
"Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel,
for those who sought the child's life are dead."
He rose, took the child and his mother,
and went to the land of Israel.
But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea
in place of his father Herod,
he was afraid to go back there.
And because he had been warned in a dream,
he departed for the region of Galilee.
He went and dwelt in a town called Nazareth,
so that what had been spoken through the prophets
might be fulfilled,
He shall be called a Nazorean.

Intercessions

With the Holy Family of Nazareth we trust in the Lord who knows all our needs, and we ask him to bless all human families. Let us say: R/ Lord, bless your people.
– For the family of the Church, that it may be a mother and a home for all people in need, let us pray: R/ Lord, bless your people.
– For all married couples, that they may keep the freshness of their first love or rediscover it, let us pray: R/ Lord, bless your people.
– For all the families of the world, that they may keep growing in mutual appreciation and service, let us pray: R/ Lord, bless your people.
– For children and young people, that their parents may be concerned about their growth and happiness, let us pray: R/ Lord, bless your people.
– For separated couples and their children, that they may meet warmhearted people whose understanding love help them to overcome the failure of their home life, let us pray: R/ Lord, bless your people.
– For our Christian communities, that as members of one family we learn to carry each other’s burdens and to share each other’s joys, let us pray: R/ Lord, bless your people.
Father, we trust in you. May we not deny one another all the love you show us in Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.

Prayer over the Gifts

God our Father,
you invite us to share the family table
of Jesus your Son.
May the food and drink he gives us
change us into gifts to one another,
that we may become each other’s
bread and wine, life and joy.
Let serving love and respect
be our offering to one another and to you,
today and tomorrow and every day,
on account of your Son in our midst,
Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.

Introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer

United before God as his sons and daughters we pray the prayer taught us by his Son Jesus of Nazareth. R/ Our Father...

Deliver Us

Deliver us Lord, from every evil
and let the peace of Christ live
in our hearts and our homes.
Keep us from all that divide us
or enclose us within ourselves.
Give us compassion, gentleness and patience,
that we may prepare in hope and joy
for the full coming among us
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. R/ For the kingdom...

Invitation to Communion

This is Jesus the Lord,
who comes to unite us
as the sons and daughters of the Father.
Happy are we to be invited
at the family table of the Lord. R/ Lord, I am not worthy...

Prayer after Communion

God our Father,
Jesus your Son made himself near to us
in this Eucharistic celebration.
He has been here for us,
approachable and available to all.
May he keep on living
in our homes and our communities.
Let him make us approachable too
and available to one another,
even at the cost of personal discomfort
and with Mary and Joseph
ready for any task you may entrust us.
For we can do everything
in the name of Jesus the Lord. R/ Amen.

Blessing

It was good to be together
as the family of God’s people
and to pray with the Holy Family of Nazareth
for what is dear to all of us:
our homes, our families,
the Christian community,
the family of our nation and people.
May God bless us all
and keep us united:
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.

Go in the peace of the Lord. R/ Thanks be to God.

Commentary

We all like to wear new clothes. Now that a new year is beginning, we would like to start it with new resolutions that are sometimes difficult to meet, such as losing weight, exercising or quit smoking. Most of the time, the resolutions are short-lived. In today’s second reading Paul describes something workable, which is a good model: the clothing that is appropriate for God’s chosen ones.
It is a garment made of compassion, kindness, humility, and patience. It is not that making a resolution to practice these virtues will be easier, but it is more enduring. Put love on, Paul tells us, and this way peace will reign. We want peace in our families and want to have good and strong families. The recipe is in that clothing, albeit somewhat expensive, because these virtues are not instantly acquired, but with lots of sacrificed love and plenty of practice.
Today we celebrate the Holy Family and we are called to live a new life of family, where the relationships are not based on who can do more or is in charge, nor on the envy between siblings, or the unequal treatment that leads to resentment, but on compassion, kindness, and patience. This is a family in the style of Jesus.

Points to Ponder

Which one of the virtues recommended seems more difficult to me?
What would I have to change?
What do I appreciate the most in the life of my family?
Which of these virtues are demonstrated in some members of my family?