DAILY- HOMILY

December 28, 2014

Sunday, 

[Feast, HOLY FAMILY]

Holy Innocents, Martyrs

Gn 15: 1-6; 21: 1-3 or Sir 3: 2-6, 12-14/ Ps 105: 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9 (7a, 8a)/ Heb 11: 8, 11-12, 17-19 or Col 3: 12-21/ Lk 2: 22-40 or 2:22, 39-40

First Reading:  Genesis 15:1-6, 21:1-3 

The word of Yahweh was spoken to Abram in a vision: "Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; your reward will be very great." Abram said, "My Lord Yahweh, where are your promises? I am still childless and all I have will go to Eliezer of Damascus. You have given me no children, so a slave of mine will be my heir." Then the word of Yahweh was spoken to him again, "Eliezer will not be your heir but a child born of you (your own flesh and blood) will be your heir." Then Yahweh brought him outside and said to him, "Look up at the sky and count the stars if you can. Your descendants will be like that." Yahweh was kind to Sarah as he had said, and fulfilled his promise to her. Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time Yahweh has promised. Abraham gave the name Isaac to the son Sarah bore him.

Second Reading:  Hebrews 11:8, 11-12, 17-19

Brothers and sisters: It was by faith that Abraham, called by God, set out for a country that would be given to him as an inheritance; for he parted without knowing where he was going. By faith Sarah herself received power to become a mother, in spite of her advanced age; since she believed that he who had made the promise would be faithful. Therefore, from an almost impotent man were born descendants as numerous as the stars of heavens, as many as the grains of sand on the seashore. By faith Abraham went to offer Isaac when God tested him. And so he who had received the promise of God offered his only son, although God had told him: Isaac's descendants will bear your name.  Abraham reasoned that God is capable even of raising the dead, and he received back his son, which has a figurative meaning. 

Gospel: Luke 2:22-40

When the day came for the purification according to the law of Moses, they brought the baby up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord, as it is written in the law of the Lord: Every firstborn male shall be consecrated to God. And they offered a sacrifice as ordered in the law of Moses: a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons. There lived in Jerusalem at this time a very upright and devout man named Simeon; the Holy Spirit was in him. He looked forward to the time when the Lord would comfort Israel, and he had been assured by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before seeing the Messiah of the Lord. So he was led to the Temple by the Holy Spirit at the time the parents brought the child Jesus to do for him according to the custom of the Law. Simeon took the child in his arms and blessed God, saying: "Now, O Lord, you can dismiss your servant  in peace, for you have fulfilled your word and my eyes have seen your salvation, which you display for all the peoples to see. Here is the light you will reveal to the nations and the glory of your people Israel." His father and mother wondered at what was said about the child. Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother, "See him; he will be the rise and fall of the multitudes of Israel. He shall stand as a sign of contradiction, while a sword will pierce your own soul. Then the secret thoughts of many may be brought to light." There was also a prophetess named Anna, daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. After leaving her father's home, she had been seven years with her husband, and since then she had been continually about the Temple, serving God as a widow night and day in fasting and prayer. She was now eighty-four. Coming up at that time, she gave praise to God and spoke of the child to all who looked forward to the deliverance of Jerusalem. When the parents had fulfilled all that was required by the law of the Lord, they returned to their town, Nazareth in Galilee. There the child grew in stature and strength and was filled with wisdom: the grace of God was upon him.

Reflection:                                                     

     A unifying theme for the three readings for today is the fulfillment of the promises of the faithful God. The first and second reading is about God's promise to Abraham to be the father of many nations even if Abraham was advanced in age and his wife Sarah was barren. God kept His promise and gave Abraham and Sarah their son Isaac. Then we know that God tested Abraham by asking him to offer his only son Isaac in sacrifice.  And without any doubt, Abraham was ready to sacrifice his only son at God's command, even if this seemed the end of God's promise to him.

     In the Gospel reading Simeon was assured by the Holy Spirit  "that he would not die before seeing the Messiah." So he was led to the Temple when Mary and Joseph came to present Jesus. 

     The salvation of the human race was promised by God at the very beginning of human history, at the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden: "I will make you enemies, you and the woman, your offspring and her offspring. He will crush your head and you will strike his heel."

     Mary's role was promised to her by the Angel Gabriel at the annunciation, "You shall conceive and bear a son and you shall call him Jesus. He will be great and shall rightly be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the kingdom of David, his ancestor; he will rule over the people of Jacob forever and his reign will have no end."

Joseph lived in faith on revelations made to him in dreams: "Do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. She has conceived by the Holy Spirit, and now she bears a son. You shall call him 'Jesus' for he will save his people from their sins." 

     After the visit of the Magi, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, "Get up, take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you for Herod will soon be looking for the child in order to kill him." 

     And after Herod's death, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph, "Get up, take the child and his mother and go back to the land of Israel, because those who tried to kill the child are dead."

     The Holy Family lived in faith and cared for the child Jesus in faith and love: "And Jesus increased in wisdom and age, and in divine and human favor."

The human family is established on the promises and vows made at marriage: the "I do's" made to each other and the prayer and promise "to be one heart and one soul from this day forward for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health until death do us part."

     May the example of the Holy Family and the graces from the sacrament of matrimony encourage, enrich and keep faithful all Christian couples and families.

Prayer Requests:

We pray …

… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the unborn

… for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary

… for families who are in need of healing

… for world peace and reconciliation

Finally, we pray for one another, for those who have asked our prayers and for those who need our prayers the most. 

Have a good day!

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