Good News Reflection FOR NEXT SUNDAY: December 26, 2010 Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph

Good News Reflection
FOR NEXT SUNDAY: December 26, 2010
Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph

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Parish bulletins, faith-sharing groups, RCIA:
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http://catholicdr.com/calendar/December/HolyFamily.htm - Preview a sample

Next Sunday's Readings:
Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14
Ps 128:1-5
Colossians 3:12-21
Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23
http://www.usccb.org/nab/122610.shtml
USCCB Podcast of the Readings:
http://ccc.usccb.org/cccradio/NABPodcasts/10_12_26.mp3

Next Sunday we celebrate the Holy Family as well as our own families. All the scriptures at Mass give us instruction on how to have holy families.

The first reading tells children (young and old) to "honor" and "revere" their parents, to be considerate of them when they get old and feeble and to be kind to them even if they fail to love us well. It does NOT say that children have to obey their parents ALL the time. This scripture never uses the word "obey".

We are to only obey God, and if a parent instructs us to do what God wants us to do (as in the responsorial Psalm), then by obeying Mom or Dad, we're obeying God, but if a parent disobeys God, we are not to follow him or her into sin. We can honor and revere our parents by respecting their personhood even while refusing to cooperate with their sins.

The second reading instructs us to "put on love, the bond of perfection", and to make sure that the peace of Christ controls our hearts. How? Saint Francis de Sales said, "Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset."

Verse 18 is NOT saying that wives should do this by obeying their husbands as if in a child-father relationship. To understand the message here, replace the word "subordinate" or "submit" with "accept his loving protection". God has put the husband in charge of providing protection for the family (which is why in the Gospel reading it's Joseph, not Mary, who was given the dream). This includes spiritual protection, teaching holiness and leading the family to heaven.

Notice that the husband is commanded to love his wife. Why isn't the wife told to love her husband? Because by nature she's a nurturer and a care-giver. But the man, created to protect, is by nature a warrior. To be holy, the husband overcomes his innate urge to protect himself so that he can make loving sacrifices to protect his family – just like Jesus.

When a wife places herself (subordinates herself) into the protection of her husband, if he is being the man whom God created him to be, she is placing herself into God's protection. And the husband is giving her Christ's own love.

Questions for Personal Reflection:
Which of your family relationships need to become holier? What can you do this week to improve these by (choose the ones that apply) honoring your parents, teaching your children about the faith, and loving your spouse (or ex-spouse) the way Christ loves?

Questions for Community Faith Sharing:
Husbands (and ex-husbands and widowers), explain how it feels to be a protector. Wives (and ex-wives and widows), share how submission to the husband's protective nature nurtures the marriage. How is this similarly played out in a priest's relationship with his parish?

© 2010 by Terry A. Modica
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