Holy Family, Cycle C

Prayer

Loving Father, in this Season of Christmas, may we celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Through the prayers of Mary and Joseph, may we grow closer to your Son who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God forever and ever. Amen

Commentary

1st Reading: 1 Samuel 1:20-22, 24-28

Generally speaking, whenever we consider the Feast of the Holy Family, we naturally turn to the family unit of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph as a model for all families. While this sentiment should be proclaimed in the Church, our readings this year turn our attention to another theme – Dedication.

Beginning with our 1st Reading, we see the dedication theme unfold in the story of Hannah and her son. Hannah, who was previously barren (not mentioned in this Reading), bore a son and named him Samuel. Because of this, Hannah told her husband that she would present Samuel to the Lord at the temple where He would “remain there forever.”

The thought of dedicating a son and leaving him at the temple is hard for us to understand. In fact, there are many who would prefer to leave the dedication ceremony to the child when he or she is able to choose for himself or herself. Catholics and Orthodox Christians are often accused of this sort of practice when a child is brought for Baptism.

Question:

What are your thoughts on the practice of infant Baptism?

2nd Reading: 1 John 3:1-2, 21-24

The dedication theme continues in our 2nd Reading as we consider what presenting ourselves (or our children) to God means. Through the grace of the Holy Spirit and the waters of Baptism we are a new creation. We are born again and are claimed by God as His own.

Saint John says, “See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called children of God. And so we are.” As we consider this Feast of the Holy Family, we understand that we now have a share in God’s Divine nature in Jesus’ name and are members of God’s royal family.

Here we see the incredible value of dedicating ourselves and our children to God through Baptism. When we are baptized as adults or as infants, our very nature changes. No longer are we merely human with Body and Soul. Now, through the Grace of this unique Sacrament, we have a share in the Divinity of Christ who humbled Himself to share in our humanity. This is what makes us members of our Holy Family.

Question:

As a baptized Christian, how do you fit in God’s Holy Family?

Gospel: Luke 2:41-52

Jewish thought was that Samuel (the figure in our 1st Reading) began his calling as a prophet at the age of twelve. This ties nicely with our Gospel where Jesus, at the age of twelve, goes up to the temple with Mary and Joseph.

After leaving Jerusalem, the parents of Jesus discover that he is missing.. Returning, they find him in the temple. After the parents express their anxiety, Jesus replies, “Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”

Continuing with our dedication theme on the Feast of the Holy Family, we know that once we are presented to our Father, we are not our own. Likewise, when a parent presents a child to God through Baptism, he or she will remain under the care of the parents (recall that Jesus obediently returns home with Mary and Joseph), but the child will always be dedicated to God. This reality may be hard to accept for many parents, but it is the unique vocation of Christian parenting.

Question:

How does a Christian parent differ from parents who are not Christian?

This Week’s Task

In our Church, parents are encouraged to have their children baptized before the age of reason (age 7). If you or someone you know have children who have not been baptized in the Church, consider contacting your local parish to set up an appointment for baptism.

If a child is over the age of reason, they are to participate in what is called the Order of Christian Initiation. In this case, the child would celebrate the three Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist together. Ask your parish priest or deacon for more information about the sacraments for your children.

Group Prayer

PRAYER TO THE HOLY FAMILY

Pope Francis

Jesus, Mary and Joseph,

in you we contemplate true love, to you we turn with trust.

Holy Family of Nazareth, grant that our families too may be places of communion, authentic schools of the Gospel

and small domestic Churches. Holy Family of Nazareth,

may families never again experience violence, rejection and division:

may all who have been hurt or scandalized

find ready comfort and healing.

Holy Family of Nazareth,

make us once more mindful of the sacredness and inviolability of the family,

and its beauty in God’s plan. Jesus, Mary and Joseph, graciously hear our prayer.

The prayer continues with Psalm 128.

Psalm

Response: 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.