Homily Aid The Holy Family of Jesus,
Mary and Joseph
(Cycle B)
Themes in the Catechism 1655-58 (Domestic church); 2214-2231 (Duties of
members of the family)
“Christ chose to be born and grow up in the bosom of the holy family of Joseph
and Mary. The church is nothing other than “the family of God”. CCC 1655
Nov. 30, 2014 - Nov. 28, 2015
Reading
Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14
For the LORD sets a father in honor over his children;
a mother’s authority he confirms over her sons.
He who honors his father atones for sins,
he stores up riches who reveres his mother.
He who honors his father is gladdened by children,
and, when he prays, is heard.
He who reveres his father will live a long life;
he obeys he obeys the LORD who 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 in the fullness of your strength.
For kindness to a father will not be forgotten,
it will serve as a sin offering
--it will take lasting root.
General Commentary
This reading from Sirach is essentially an exposition of the Commandment to
Honor your father and mother. It goes into greater length about the positive benefits that come to the person who does so and does link to early Hebrew belief that
the honor received by the father of a household was transferred to the children
(just as in the omitted verses 8-11, the sins are also transmitted to the children).
Possible Homiletic Focus
• Building the Domestic Church starts with building mutual respect for all its
members.
• A parent’s duty as “first and best teachers of their children in the faith” is to be
an example of lived faith for their children.
• (From the Rite of Baptism for Children – Introduction, “5) After baptism it is
the responsibility of the parents, in their gratitude to God and in fidelity to the duty
they have undertaken, to enable the child to know God, whose adopted child it has
become, to receive confirmation, and to participate in the holy eucharist. In this duty
they are again to be helped by the parish priest by suitable means.”
• The necessity for unity within the nuclear family to preserve the love fostered
within it. Parents loving and protecting their children and children in their
turn supporting their parents. As society attacks the family bond, this mutual
support is also being eroded.
Nov. 30, 2014 - Nov. 28, 2015
Reading
Genesis 15:1-6; 21:1-3
Some time after these events,
the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying:
“Fear not, Abram!
I am your shield;
I will make your reward very great.”
But Abram said,
“O Lord GOD, what good will your gifts be,
if I keep on being childless
and have as my heir the steward of my house, Eliezer?”
Abram continued,
“See, you have given me no offspring,
and so one of my servants will be my heir.”
Then the word of the LORD came to him:
“No, that one shall not be your heir;
your own issue shall be your heir.”
He (the Lord) took Abram outside and said,
“Look up at the sky and count the stars, if you can.
Just so,” he added, “shall your descendants be.”
Abram put his faith in the LORD,
who credited it to him as an act of righteousness.
The LORD took note of Sarah as he had said he would;
he did for her as he had promised.
Sarah became pregnant and bore Abraham a son in his old age,
at the set time that God had stated.
Abraham gave the name Isaac to this son of his
whom Sarah bore him.
General Commentary
Abram was earlier promised the land he now occupies as a possession. In this section we find Abram complaining that he has no heir and therefore all he has will
pass to his servant. In response God tells him that he will be given offspring; “Look
up at the sky and count the stars, if you can. Just so,” he added, “shall your descendants be.”
God’s physical response is found in the first three verses of Chapter 21 as Sarah,
the wife of Abraham is given Isaac, the heir of their union (in the intervening verses, Hanna, Sarah’s servant, bears him Ishmael).
Possible Homiletic Focus
Nov. 30, 2014 - Nov. 28, 2015
• Abraham is blessed with great material worth and is given the final and greatest gift, the gift of life itself as God insures he will have children and become a
family.
• God creates for Abraham a family that becomes the framework for the Hebrew
Peoples. He chooses to reveal himself through the family of Abraham.
• Some of God’s greatest miracles focus on women bearing children, even in
their later years. (see also Hannah in 1 Samuel 1:9ff; Elizabeth in Luke 1:6-7)
Reading
Colossians 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.
General Commentary
Here we have the rather controversial family hierarchy of the era described by St.
Paul. This entire section of the letter is a discourse on harmony within the family
of Christ. It is important to note the instruction given in the first part of this reading. Paul describes the Christian rules for relationships; “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”.
When the subordinated relationships are described below, equality in membership
in the family is established.
Possible Homiletic Focus
Nov. 30, 2014 - Nov. 28, 2015
• Within the family it is most important to put on the love of Christ (“….heartfelt
compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience”). In this way the peace of
Christ will bring harmony to the family.
• Key to peace within the family is mutual forgiveness; a difficult challenge because it is so easy to hurt those we love and who are closest to us.
• It is extremely important to keep the Word of God alive in the home (“Let the
word of Christ dwell in you richly”) Use its principles to keep God alive within
the family – the Domestic Church. See also 2 Timothy 3:16; Dei Verbum 11.
• St. Paul establishes the family based on mutual love and respect – not as some
see the final passage as placing any member above any other.
Reading
1 John 3:1-2, 21-24
Beloved:
See what love the Father has bestowed on us
that we may be called the children of God.
And so we are.
The reason the world does not know us
is that it did not know him.
Beloved, we are God’s children now;
what we shall be has not yet been revealed.
We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him,
for we shall see him as he is.
Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us,
we have confidence in God and receive from him whatever we ask,
because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.
And his commandment is this:
we should believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ,
and love one another just as he commanded us.
Those who keep his commandments remain in him, and he in them,
and the way we know that he remains in us
is from the Spirit he gave us.
General Commentary
In this selection from St. John’s first epistle we are reminded that we are all, through
our Baptism, adopted children of God and hence, part of his family, the family of the
faithful. St. John goes on to remind us of the obligations of that adoption; first, that
we believe in Him, Jesus Christ, the Only Son of God. Second, following the formula
of the Great Commandment is that we should love one another.
The ending of the chapter speaks of Christians living a life of faith in Jesus and
how, in that faith, they are assured, through mutual love that we are in the Lord
and the Lord also resides in us. In adhering to this most important of commandments the Lord becomes indwelling. As a consequence of our obedience, the love
of Christ and love of each other naturally follows.
Nov. 30, 2014 - Nov. 28, 2015
Possible Homiletic Focus
• What does it mean to be an adopted child – of God? What inheritance does
adoption by God promise; what obligations does it impose?
• As adopted children of God we are all expected to live by the “house rules”, the
greatest of these is to love one another. It is sometimes easier to do that with
strangers than with our own family members.
• If we act as members of Gods family we have the grace, the in-dwelling spirit
of God to guide us and keep us from harm.
Gospel
Luke 2:22-40*
When the days were completed for their purification
according to the law of Moses,
Mary and Joseph took Jesus up to Jerusalem
to present him to the Lord,
just as it is written in the law of the Lord,
Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord,
and to offer the sacrifice of
a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons,
in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord.
Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon.
This man was righteous and devout,
awaiting the consolation of Israel,
and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit
that he should not see death
before he had seen the Christ of the Lord.
He came in the Spirit into the temple;
and when the parents brought in the child Jesus
to perform the custom of the law in regard to him,
he took him into his arms and blessed God, saying:
“Now, Master, you may let your servant go
in peace, according to your word,
for my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you prepared in the sight of all the peoples:
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and glory for your people Israel.”
Nov. 30, 2014 - Nov. 28, 2015
The child’s father and mother were amazed at what was said about him;
and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother,
“Behold, this child is destined
for the fall and rise of many in Israel,
and to be a sign that will be contradicted
Band you yourself a sword will pierce
so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”
There was also a prophetess, Anna,
the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher.
She was advanced in years,
having lived seven years with her husband after her marriage,
and then as a widow until she was eighty-four.
She never left the temple,
but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer.
And coming forward at that very time,
she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child
to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem.
When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions
of the law of the Lord,
they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.
The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom;
and the favor of God was upon him.
General Commentary
St. Luke begins the account of the Lord’s presentation recalling that Mary, the Virgin
Mother of God, followed Mosaic Law by observing the Rite of Purification which by
tradition was required of any member of the community who had come in contact
with the “Mystery”, life and death, the birth of a child or the burial of the dead.
At the Temple in Jerusalem the Holy Family encounters two prophetic figures
Simeon and Anna. Both of these figures proclaim that the Messiah is come in the
person of the Lord. We also hear from Simeon an image of the Lord’s passion and
how a sword of sorrow will pierce the Holy Mother’s heart.
Simeon’s prediction, a man who “was righteous and devout, awaiting the consolation of Israel”. was told by the Holy Spirit that he would not pass away until he
had seen the Messiah. He has declared that this promise has been fulfilled and
then turns to Mary and makes the prediction about the nature of Christ’s ministry
and the nature of the sorrow she will endure.
Possible Homiletic Focus
Nov. 30, 2014 - Nov. 28, 2015
• Within the Holy Family, God’s Law was followed closely. The presentation of
Jesus at the Temple is an example of that fact. Within our modern families,
this is analogous to insuring our children receive the sacraments, forming them
spiritually as well as providing for their physical needs.
• Mary and Joseph, having already been blessed with the gift of a miraculous
child, now are given more proofs of God’s revelation in their Son. The revelation
given to the Holy Family is passed on and our own families are patterned after
this model; love and respect for one another and reverence for the gifts given.
• The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon
him. This statement about the Lord sums up the deepest hope of all families;
that their children grow in faith and stature (physically). The Lord grew up to
take on a great task for which the Father sent him, guided and protected from
his earliest years within the Holy Family. In much the same way our families
serve this same purpose – providing a means for discernment as each member,
supported by the others, seeks God’s will in their lives.
Gospel - Shorter Form
Luke 2:22-32
When the days were completed for their purification
according to the law of Moses,
Mary and Joseph took Jesus up to Jerusalem
to present him to the Lord,
just as it is written in the law of the Lord,
Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord,
and to offer the sacrifice of
a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons,
in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord.
Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon.
This man was righteous and devout,
awaiting the consolation of Israel,
and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit
that he should not see death
before he had seen the Christ of the Lord.
He came in the Spirit into the temple;
and when the parents brought in the child Jesus
to perform the custom of the law in regard to him,
he took him into his arms and blessed God, saying:
“Now, Master, you may let your servant go
in peace, according to your word,
for my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you prepared in the sight of all the peoples:
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and glory for your people Israel.”
General Commentary
Nov. 30, 2014 - Nov. 28, 2015
In the shorter version of the Gospel the focus is brought more to the revelation of
the Christ as opposed to the impact of this revelation on Mary, the Mother of God.
St. Luke’s account of Jesus being presented at the Temple provides a unique insight
into the Holy Family. They are faithful observes of the Law of Moses. “Their purification: syntactically, there must refer to Mary and Joseph, even though the Mosaic
law never mentions the purification of the husband. Recognizing the problem,
some Western scribes have altered the text to read “his purification,” understanding the presentation of Jesus in the temple as a form of purification; the Vulgate
version has a Latin form that could be either “his” or “her.” According to the Mosaic law (Leviticus 12:2-8), the woman who gives birth to a boy is unable for forty
days to touch anything sacred or to enter the temple area by reason of her legal
impurity.”(See NAB Footnote on Luke 2:22) In addition to this description we see
that Jesus was returned to Nazareth to grow in stature. The passage ends with Simeon having seen the Christ now being able to go to his final rest, fulfilled.
Possible Homiletic Focus
• Within the Holy Family, God’s Law was followed closely. The presentation of
Jesus at the Temple is an example of that fact. Within our modern families,
this is analogous to insuring our children receive the sacraments, forming them
spiritually as well as providing for their physical needs.
• The sacrifice offered by St. Joseph and St. Mary was in thanksgiving to God for
the gift of their child. Children are indeed a blessing from God, a means of
sharing in his divine creative power.
Holy Family Sunday
The three readings; Genesis, Hebrews and Luke provide a consistent theme. God
intends us to live in family (Genesis), our relationship with God comes even before
our relationship in the family (Hebrews). Mary and Joseph act in a way to show
observance of the Law and Tradition. Mary and Joseph do not presume what is
best for their son and try to discern God’s will. We must be trusting and have faith
because we never fully know how God provides or his will for us or our children.
Resources
Theology of the Body
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZ3j6PwqbKQ
http://www.cantalamessa.org/?lang=en
Cantellemessa on the Wedding Feast at Cana
http://www.cantalamessa.org/?p=2193&lang=en
Nov. 30, 2014 - Nov. 28, 2015
Cantellemessa on the Holy Family
http://www.cantalamessa.org/?p=2128&lang=en
Barron on Ephesians 5
http://www.wordonfire.org/resources/browse/scripture/ephesians/
Barron on Holy Family Sunday
http://www.wordonfire.org/resources/homily/gods-subversive-ways/566/
Called to Give Life A primer on The Blessing of Children and the Harm of Contraception Jason T. Adams - a homelitcs resource on Children and Contraception
Fr. Cantalamessa on Wedding Feast of Cana
• http://www.cantalamessa.org/?p=2193&lang=en
Fr. Cantalamessa on Marriage in Heaven
• http://catholiconline.com/featured/headline.php?ID=3793
Fr. Cantalamessa On Fatherhood
• http://3massketeers.blogspot.com/2007/09/fr-cantalamessa-on-fatherhood.html
Fr. Cantalamessa On Parenting
• http://veniteavedere.org/come_to_see_blog
Fr. Barron 6 resources on marriage
• http://www.wordonfire.org/resources/blog/fr-barrons-top-6-resources-on-marriage-and-thefamily/4509/
Fr. Barron on Marriage
• http://www.wordonfire.org/search/?keywords=marriage&search_submit=Go&simple_
search=true
Fr. Barron on Forgiveness
• http://www.wordonfire.org/resources/homily/seventy-times-seven-times/686/
•
Scott Hahn current Sunday reflection http://www.salvationhistory.com/
Fr. Francis Martin Homilies
• http://www.thewordproclaimed.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=50:2006-2007-selected-homilies-cycle-a&catid=34:homily-set&Itemid=37
Holy Family Sunday
Homiletics resources cycle B
Nov. 30, 2014 - Nov. 28, 2015
Fr. Renario Cantellemessa on the Holy Family
• http://www.cantalamessa.org/?p=2128&lang=en
Fr. Robert Barron on Holy Family Sunday
• http://www.wordonfire.org/resources/homily/gods-subversive-ways/566/
Scott Hahn current Sunday reflection
• http://www.salvationhistory.com/
Fr. Francis Martin Homilies
• http://www.thewordproclaimed.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=50:2006-2007-selected-homilies-cycle-a&catid=34:homily-set&Itemid=37
MichiganCelebratesMarriage.com