The Feast of the Holy Family–Year B

My Sisters and Brothers:

     Today’s Gospel tells us that Mary and Joseph were faithful to the “Law of Moses” as they went to Jerusalem for “their purification” and to "present” the child Jesus “to the Lord.”  The Gospel tells us that after this event in Jerusalem they “returned to their own town of Nazareth,” and that “the child grew and become strong, filled with wisdom” (see Luke 2:22, 39-40).

     From those very first days when Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph were models of righteousness and of faithfulness to the Father in heaven.  They desired to follow God’s laws and to live together “filled with wisdom.”

     With this in mind, we may get the idea that the Holy Family was somehow “perfect” and that it never suffered any type of difficulties.   On the contrary, the same Gospel also tells us that Simeon proclaimed to Mary that because she was his mother, “a sword” would “pierce” her (see Luke 2:35).  That doesn’t sound very “perfect” to me, and surely there were times when things were difficult for her, and for them!

     I think it is wise to believe that after the Holy Family “returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth,” (Luke 2:39) they were just like any other family in that very remote, poor and humble town.  The child Jesus was completely human like any other child, and as such sometimes he probably scraped his knees, and on occasion he most likely disagreed with his playmates, and in all likelihood he worried Mary and Joseph as he got a bit older and went through those teenage years!

     Many years later and most poignantly, the “sword” that pierced the heart of Mary was of course on Calvary when she witnessed his suffering and death, but I believe that until then they were very much like any other family, with both ups and downs, and with happy and sad moments.  What is most important to us today is that we know that Jesus was completely human like the rest of us.  The God-made-flesh took on our human nature so that we might share in his.

     Mary was a poor young woman, and Joseph was a simple carpenter, and both raised their child Jesus in the humble town of Nazareth, and it was there that they lived together like any other “normal” family.

     Today, as we celebrate the Holy Family, let us be grateful that we may follow their example.  Like them, may we too, even in our own very real struggles, be completely faithful to God, and as such “grow and become strong, and be filled with wisdom!”  Through God’s grace, may we also rejoice that as holy members of his family, we may also share in his divinity!  

Praise God!  Friar Timothy

 

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Joyful and Hopeful Expectation, the Third Sunday of Advent–Year B

My Sisters and Brothers, let us “rejoice!”:

     For Christians, the focus during most of the month of December, and during the Season of Advent, is our “joyful and hopeful expectation of the coming of the Lord.”  On this Third Sunday of Advent, we read in the Gospel that Saint John the Baptist came before Jesus, and that he came to “testify to the light” (see John 1:6-8, 19-28).

     Today, it seems that many people around us have forgotten the true meaning of the “light”, and that in this season they are just preoccupied with more material things.  We might conclude that the message of John the Baptist has become simply and completely irrelevant in this world of ours.  On the other hand, we might consider the possibility that the “holiday lights” at Macy’s, and those in the malls and along public streets, still in some way continue to give testimony to a more important reality–the one in which we find ourselves contemplating during this Advent season.

     Even with all of the commercialism out there, I believe we can find reason to keep the focus on our faith.  I love to see all of the Christmas decorations all over the place, especially those covered with lots of bright lights!  Often when I see them, they cause me to get a bit sentimental and nostalgic about the months of December from the time of my childhood.  I have very fond memories of those days because of all the colorful and bright decorating that happened everywhere, including in and around our home, and throughout our neighborhood.

     When I was a child, there was a large blue spruce tree standing tall in front of our family home; each year in December, my father would string hundreds of those very large, old-fashioned multi-colored lights all around that tree, and it would make our front yard look so cheerful and bright.  My mother always put candles in all of the windows of our house, and I loved the way the light from those candles would glow out from, and into our house, all the night long!  Many of our neighbors would display elaborate Christmas decorations and lights on their houses and so our whole neighborhood would take on a kind of magical, even mystical hue.

     As in those days, and in the present day as well, may the lights of our decorations, and those all over the place, always remind us of the One who is the “true light,” our Lord and Savior, the Messiah, Jesus Christ.  This is the same “light” for whom John the Baptist gave testimony, and for whom we testify as well.

     Today, as we bask in this light, let us rejoice as we wait in joyful and hopeful expectation for the coming of the Lord!  Let us continue to keep our focus!  May those beautiful “holiday lights” out there, even the ones in the shopping malls, testify to the presence of Jesus for all the world, and may they always inspire us to faith as well!  My Sisters and Brothers, let us “rejoice!”

Praise God!  Friar Timothy

 

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Prepare the Way of the Lord, the Second Sunday of Advent–Year B

My Sisters and Brothers:

     These days, many of us are doing a lot of preparing; we are cleaning our living rooms and rearranging the furniture in order to find the perfect spot for our Christmas trees, we are taking boxes of decorations out of storage and we are putting up colorful holiday displays around the house and yard, we are making trips to the mall and shopping for gifts, we are making lists of friends and relatives and we are writing greetings and mailing Christmas cards to them, we are planning menus and making arrangements for family get-togethers and holiday parties, etc., etc.  There are so many things to do in order to get ready for all of the holiday activities and festivities in which we are engaged.

     Most of the time, it seems to me, these “preparatory activities” before the actual celebration of Christmas are filled with a lot of fun and great pleasure and joy!  Sometimes, unfortunately, it also seems to me that the things we need to do in preparation for the holidays can also cause us a lot of stress!

     These days, in the midst of all of these activities in which we are involved, we also have the opportunity to hear the story of Saint John the Baptist, and about his special role in preparing people for the coming of the Lord.  Today and next Sunday, our Gospel readings tell us about his prophetic role as the precursor to the Messiah.  Echoing words from the Old Testament prophets, Saint John the Baptist proclaims in today’s Gospel: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths!” (see Mark 1:3b)

     As we go about our business of preparing and doing everything that we must in order to get ready for the celebration of Christmas, may we also use these activities as a kind of reminder of a greater reality pressed upon us who are people of faith:  We are called to “prepare the way of the Lord” in our own lives.  As Christians, may the things we do at this time of the year, all things, great and small, always remind us of the true preparatory meaning of this season.

     Let us make ready our hearts and minds, indeed our very lives, for the coming of the Lord!  May we heed the cry of John the Baptist, and prepare well.  Of course, as we do this, let’s not forget to turn away from sin, to change our hearts, and to be completely open to receiving the presence of God in our lives, both today and forever.  Stay focused my friends! 

Praise God!  Friar Timothy

 

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