Homily
for the Holy Family Sunday of
(Cycle C)
Based
on (Gospel), (First Reading) and (Second Reading)
From
the Series: “Reflections and Teachings of the Desert”
BAR
MITZVAH
The Gospel
narrative for this Holy Family Sunday (Cycle C) is taken from Lk 2:41-52. Verse
41 says: Every year his parents used to go to
Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover.
Parallel
texts are:
1.
Ex 12:1 - The Passovera Yahweh said to Moses
and Aaron in the land of Egypt.
Footnote a says “The
long section on the Passover and the feats of Unleavened Bread, 12:1-13:16,
combines the ‘Yahwistic’, 12:29-34,38-39, and the ‘Priestly’ traditions,
12:1-20,43-50, and some editorial additions, 12:24-27; 13:3-16, the style of
which is ‘Deuteronomic’. With this passage should be compared the liturgical
calendar of Lv 23:5-8, Dt 16:1-8, and the legislation of Nb 28:16-25. The two
rites may have had separate origins: the Passover is primarily a pastoral
feast, offering the first fruit of the flock: the feast of Unleavened Bread is
primarily agricultural, offering the first fruit of the barley harvest. But
they were both springtime festivals and become fused at a very early date. Once
associated with a liturgical occurrence, that decisive event in the history of
Israel’s election, the deliverance out of Egypt, these rites took on an
entirely new religious significance: they recalled how God had saved his
people, cf. the explanatory formula accompanying the rite, 12:26-27; 13:8. The
Jewish Passover hence becomes a rehearsal for the Christian Passover: the lamb
of God, Christ, is sacrificed (the cross) and eaten (the Last Supper) within
the framework of the Jewish Passover (the first Holy Week). Thus he brings
salvation to the world: and the mystical re-enactment of this redemptive act becomes the central feature of
the Christian liturgy, organized round the Mas which is at once sacrifice and
sacrificial meal.”
2.
Dt 16:16 - Three
times a year all your menfolk are to appear before Yahweh your God in the place
he chooses: at the feast of Unleavened Bread, at the feast of Weeks, and the
feast of Tabernacles. No one must appear before Yahweh empty-handed, but every
man must give what he can in proportion to the blessing that Yahweh your God
gives.
Verses 42
to 47 say: When he was twelve years old, they went up for the feast as usual. When
they were on their way home after the feast, the boy Jesus stayed behind in
Jerusalem without his parents knowing it. They assumed he was with the caravan,
and it was only after a day’s journey that they went to look for him among
their relations and acquaintances. When they failed to find him they went back
to Jerusalem looking for him everywhere. Three days later, they found him in
the Temple, sitting among the doctors, listening to them, and asking them
questions; and all those who heard him
were astounded at his intelligence and his replies.
Parallel
texts are:
1.
Lk 4:22 - And he won the approval of all, and
they were astonished by the gracious words that came from his lips. They
said, ‘This is Joseph’s son, surely?
2.
Jn 7:15,46 - The Jews were astonished and said,
‘How did he learn to read? He has not been taught (v. 15).’ The police replied,
‘There has never been anybody who has spoken like him’ (v. 46).
3.
Ac 3:9 - Everyone could see him walking and praising
God.
Verses
48and 49 say: They were overcome when they saw him and his mother said to him, ‘My
child, why have you done this to us? See how worried your father and I have
been, looking for you.’ ‘Why were you looking for me?’ he replied ‘Did you not
know that I must be busy with my Father’s affairs?t
Footnote t says “Alternative
translation ‘in my Father’s house’.”
Parallel text
is Mt 12:48 that says: But to the
man who told him this Jesus replied, ‘Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?’
Verses 50
and 51 say: But they did not understand what he meant. He then went down with
them and came to Nazareth and lived under their authority. His mother stored up
all these things in her heart.
Parallel
text for verse 51 is Lk 4:16 that says: He came to Nazarah
where he had been brought up, and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day as
he usually did. He stood up to read,i (v. 16).
Footnote h
says “Rare form of the name ‘Nazareth’”; and Footnote i says “The
director of a synagogue could authorize any adult Jew to read the scripture
lesson in public.”
Verse 52 says: And Jesus increased in wisdom, in
stature, and in favor with God and men.
Parallel
texts are:
1.
Lk 2:19 - As
for Mary, she treasured all these things and pondered them in her hearts.
2.
Gn 37:11 - His
brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the things in mind.
3.
Lk 1:80 - Meanwhile
the child grew up and his spirit matured.gg And he lived out in the
wilderness until the day he appeared openly to Israel. Footnote gg says “A
kind of refrain: 2:40,52; cf. 1:66 and cf Ac 2:41+; 6:7+.”
4.
Pr 3:4 - So
shall you enjoy favor and good repute in the sight of God and man.
The First Reading is Sir 3:1-6,12-14. Verses
1 to 6 say: Children, listen to me your father, do what I tell you, and so be safe;
For the Lord honors the father in his children, and upholds the rights of a
mother over her sons. Whoever respects his father is atoning for his sins, he who honors his mother is like someone
amassing a fortune. Whoever respects his father will be happy with children of
his own, he shall be heard on the day when he prays. Long life comes to him who
honors his father, he who sets his mother at ease is showing obedience to the
Lord.a Footnote a
says “Corr. Following Hebr.: Greek
‘he who shows obedience to the Lord sets his mother at ease’. Add. V. 7a ‘He
who fears the Lord respects his father’.”
Parallel
texts for verse 1 are:
1.
Ex 20:12 - Honor your father and your mother so
that you may have a long life in the land that Yahweh your God has given to
you.
2.
Ex 20:12 - Children,
be obedient to your parents in the Lorda- that is your duty (v. 1).
The first commandment that has a promise attached to it is: Honor your father and mother (v. 2), and the
promise is: and you will prosper and have a long life in the land (v. 3). Footnote a says “Om.
‘in the Lord’.”
3.
Dt 5:16 - Honor your father and your mother, as
the Yahweh your God, has commanded you, so that you may have a long life and
may prosper in the land the Yahweh your God gives to you
Verses 12, 13
and 14 say: My son, support you father in his old age, do not grieve him during
his life. Even if his mind should fail, show him sympathy, do not despise him
in your health and strength. For kindness to a father shall not be forgotten.
Parallel texts
for verse 12 are:
1.
Mt 15:4-6 - For God said: Do your duty to your father and mother and: Anyone who
curses father or mother must be put to death (v. 4). But you say, ‘If anyone
says to his father or mother; Anything I have that I might have used to help
you is dedicated to God’d (v. 5), he is rid of his duty to father or
mother; e In this way you have made God’s word null and void by
means of your tradition.
Footnote d -
Footnote e
-
2.
Pr 19:26 - He
who dispossesses his father and drives out his mother is a son as shameless as
depraved.
The Second Reading is from Col 3:12-21.
Verse 12
says: You are God’s chosen race, his saints; he loves you, and you
should be clothed in sincere compassion, in kindness and humility, gentleness
and patience.
Parallel
texts are:
1.
Ep 4:1-2,32 - I, prisoner in the
Lord, implore you therefore to lead a life worthy of your vocation (v. 1) Bear
with one another charitably, in complete selflessness, gentleness and patience
(v. 2). Be friend with one another, and kind. Forgiving each other as readily a
God forgave your in Christ (v. 32).
2.
1 Th 5:15 - Make sure that people
do not try to take revenge; you must all think of what is best for each other
and for the community.
Verse 13
says: Bear with one another; forgive each other as soon as a quarrel
begins. The Lord has forgiven you; now must do the same.
Parallel
texts are:
1.
Mt 6:14;18:21-35 - Yes, if you forgive others
their failings, your heavenly Father will forgive you yours (v. 14); Then Peter went up to him and said, ‘Lord.
How often must I forgive my brother if he wrongs me? As often as seven times?
(v. 21) Jesus answered, ‘Not seven, I tell you, but seventy-seven times.k
Parable of the Unforgiving Debtor. Footnote k says “Others
render ‘seventy-times-seven times’, cf. 6:9+.”
2.
2 Co 2:7…and
the best thing now is to give him your forgiveness and encouragement, or he
might break down from so much misery.
3.
Ep 4:32 - Be
friend with one another, and kind. Forgiving each other as readily a God
forgave your in Christ. Footnote r
says “‘you’: var. ‘us’. The same in 5:2.”
Verse
14 says: Over all these clothes, to keep them together and complete
them, put on love.
Parallel texts
are:
1.
Rm 13:8-10 - Avoid getting into debt, except
the debt of mutual love. If you love your fellow men you have carried out your
obligationsc (v. 8). All the commandments: You shall not commit
adultery, you shall not kill, you shall not steal,d you shall not
covet, and so on, are summed up in this single command: you shall love your
neighbore as yourself (v. 9). Love is the one thing that cannot hurt
your neighbor; that is why it is the answer to very one of the commandments.f Footnote
c says “Lit. ‘fulfilled the law’- apparently law in
general, not only the Mosaic Law”; Footnote d says “Add (Vulg.)’you shall not bear false
witness’”; Footnote e
says “In Lv the ‘neighbor’ was a fellow countryman, here it is any member of
the human family which is made one in Christ, Ga. 3:28; Mt 25:40. Footnote f says “Lit.
‘that is why love is the law in all its fullness’; Footnote g says “The
thought is a fundamental one in Paul’s moral teaching. The ‘time’ (kairos) is
apparently the eschatological era, called in the bible the ‘latter days’;
introduced by Christ’s death and resurrection and coextensive with the age of
the church on earth, the age of salvation, 2 Co 6:2. It is opposed to the era
that preceded it by a difference not so much of time as of nature. The
Christian, henceforward a ‘child of the day’, emancipated from the wicker
world, Ga 1:4, and from the empire of darkness, belongs to the kingdom of God
and of his Son, Col. 1:13; he is already a citizen of heaven, Phil. 3:20. This
entirely new status dominates the whole moral outlook, cf. 6:3f.
2.
1 Co 13:1 - If I have all the eloquence of men or of
angels, but speak without love…a Footnote a
says “Love (agape) has no possessiveness
and is not a desire for satisfaction it wants to satisfy the other. The supreme
charity is God’s love for us, 1 Jn 4:19, that made him give his Son so that
sinners might be reconciled, Rm 5:8; 8:32-39; 2 Co 5:18-21; Ep:4-7; cf. Jn 3:16f; 1 Jn 4:9-10, and become
not only Gos’s chosen ones, Ep 1:4, but God’s sons, 1 Jn 3:1. This love is
attributed to God (the Father), Rom 5:5; 8:39; 2 Co 13:11,13; Ph 2:1; 2 Th
2:16; cf. 1 Jn 2:15, but as it is identical with God’s nature; 1 Jn 4:7f,16, it
is found in the Son, Rm 8:35,37,39; 2 Co 5:14; Ep 3:19; 1 Tm 1:14; 2 Tm 1:13,
so the Son loves the Father as the Son is loved by the Father, Ep 1:6; Col
1:13; cf. Jn 3:35; 10:17; 14:31, and as the Father loves us, so the Son loves
the human race, Jn 13:1,34, 14:21; 15:9, which he was sent to save, 2 Co 5:14f;
Ga. 2:20; Ep 5:2,25; 1 Tm 1:14f; cf. Jn 15:13; 1 Jn 3:16; Rv 1:5. This is the
same love that the Holy Spirit, Rm 15:30; Col 1:8, gives Christians, Rm 5:5;
cf. Ga 5:22; to help them to carry out, Rm 8:4, the essential commandment of
the Law, which is love of God and neighbor, Mt 22:17-40p; Rm 13:8-10; Ga 5:14.
To love friends, and enemies, Mt 5:43-48p, is not only the necessary
consequence of God’s love, 1 Jn 3:17; 4:20f, and it is the new commandment laid
down by Christ, Jn 13:34f; 15:12,17; 1 Jn 3:23, etc., and how they love him, Col
1:8; 1 Th 3:6; etc. Love presupposes sincerity, humility, selflessness and
self-sacrifice , Rm 12:9f; 1 Co 13:4-7; 2 Co 6:6; Ph 2:2f; service, Ga 5:13;
cf. Heb 6:10, mutual help, Ep 4:2, cf. Rm
14:15; 2 Co 2:7f. Love shows itself in the way we behave, 2 Co
8:8-11,24; cf. 1 Jn 3:18, and the way we obey the Lord’s command, Jn 14:15; 1
Jn 5:2f, etc. and give effect to our faith, Ga 5:6; cf Heb 10:2. Love holds the
community together, Col 3:14, cf 2 P 1:7, and it covers up many sins’, 1 P 4:8;
cf. Lk &;47. Since love of neighbor springs from love of God, its motive
cannot be fear, Rm 8:28-39; cf. 1 Jn 4:17f. Nor can we be charitable without
truth, Ep 4:15, cf. 2 Th 2:10, and it is this that enables us to make moral
judgments, Ph 1:9, and gives us spiritual understanding of the divine mystery,
Col 2:2; cf. 1 Jn 4:7, and spiritual knowledge of the otherwise unknowable love
of Christ, Ep 3:17-19; cf. 1 Co 8:1-3; 13:8-12. Since Christ, Ep 3:17-, and the
whole Trinity, 2 Co 13:13+; Cf. Jn 14:15-23; 1 Jn 4:12, live in the soul that
has his love. It fosters the theological virtues, cf. Rm 1:16+; 5:2+, in any
person where it is the dominant characteristic, 1 Co 13:13. Love is the only eternal
virtue, 1 Co 13:8, and will only be perfect in the vision, 1 Co 13:12; cf. 1 Jn
3:2, when God gives the lovers the gift he has promised, 1 Co 2:9; Rm 8:28; Ep
6:24; 2 Tm 4:8; cf. Jm 1:12; 2:5.”
3.
Ep 2:16…through the cross, to unite them both in a
single Bodyo and reconcile them with God. In his own person he
killed the hostility. Footnote o says “This ‘single Body’ is both the physical body
of Jesus that was executed by crucifixion, Col 1:22+, and the Church or
‘mystical’ body of Christ in which, once they were reconciled, all the parts
function in their own place, 1 Co 12:12+.”
4.
Ep 4:3-4 - Do
all you can to preserve the unity of the Spirit by the peace that binds you
together (v. 3). There is one Body, one spirit, just as you were called into
one and the same hope when you were called (v. 4).
5.
Ph 4:7 - And
that peace of God, which is so much greater than we can understand, will guard
your hearts and your thoughts,b in Christ Jesus. Footnote b says “Var. ‘your bodies’.”
6. 1
Co 12:12 - Just as a human body, it is
made up of many parts, is a single unit because all these parts, though many,
make one body, so it is with Christ.k Verse k
says “The way a human body gives unity to all its component parts is the way
Christ, as a unifying principle of the Church, gives unity to all Christians in
his Body.”
Verses 15
and 16 say: And may the peace of Christ
reign in your hearts, because it is for this that you were called together as
parts of one body. Always be thankful. Let the message of Christ,g
in all its richness, find a home with you. Teach each other and advice each
other, in all wisdom. With gratitude in your hearts sing psalms and hymns and
inspired songs to God;h Footnote g say “Var.
‘of the Lord’, or ‘of God’ possibly the text originally read ‘the Word’, cf. Ph
1:4; 2:30”; and Footnote h
says “‘These ‘inspired songs’
could be charismatic improvisations suggested by the Spirit during liturgical
assembly; cf. 1 Co 12:7f; 14:26.”
Parallel
texts are:
1.
Ep 4:29 - Guard
against foul talk; let your words be for the improvement of others, as occasion
offers, and do good to your listeners…
2.
Ac 16:25 - Late
that night Paul and Silas were praying and singing God’s praises, while the
other prisoners listened.
3.
Ep 5:19-20 - Sing the words and tunes of the psalms and hymns when you are together,
and go on singing and chanting to the Lord in your hearts (v. 19), so that
always and everywhere you are giving thanks to God who is your Father in the
name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
4.
1 Co 10:31 - Whatever you eat, whatever you drink, whatever you do at all, do it for
the glory of God.
Verses 17
and 18 say: and never say or do anything except in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God the Father through him. Wives, give way to your husbands,
as you should in the Lord.
Parallel
texts are:
1.
Ep 5:21 -
Give way to one another in obedience to
Christ.
2.
Ep 6:9 - And
those of you who are employers, treat yourselves in the same spirit; do without
threats, remembering that they and you have the same Master in heaven and he is
not impressed by one person more than by another.
3.
1 P 3:1-7 - In the same way, wives should be obedient to
their husbands. Then, if there are some husbands who have not yet obeyed the
word, they may find themselves won over, without a word spoken, by the way
their wives behave (1), when they see how faithful and conscientious they are
(2). Do not dress up for show; doing up your hair, wearing gold bracelets and
fine clothes (v. 3); all these should be inside, in a person’s heart, a
imperishable: the ornament of a sweet and gentle disposition - this is what is
precious in the sight of God (v. 4). That is how the holy women of the past
dressed themselves attractively - they hoped in God and were tender and
obedient to their husbands (v. 5); like Sarah, who was obedient to Abraham, and
called him her lord. You are now her children, as long as you live good lives
and do not give way to fear or worry (v. 6). In the same way, husbands must
always treat their wives with consideration in their life together, respecting
a woman as one who, though she may be the weaker partner, is equally an heirb
to the life of grace. This will stop anything from coming in the way of your
prayers (v. 7). Footnote a says “Lit. ‘should be the hidden man (self) of the
heart’”; and Footnote b
says “‘(she)’
is equally an heir’, var. ‘you are equally heirs’, ‘the life of grace’, lit
‘the grace of life’; var. ‘her own form of the grace of life’, cf. 4:10.”
4.
Tt 2:5…how
they are to be sensible and chaste, and how to work in their homes, and be
gentle, and do as their husbands tell them, so that the message of God is never
disgraced.
Verse 19
says: Husbands, love
your wives and treat them with gentleness.
Parallel
text is Ep 5:2-6:9 that says: Try, then, to imitate God, as children of
his that he loves (v. 1), and follow Christ by loving as he loved you, giving
himself up in our place as a fragrant offering and a sacrifice to God (v. 2).
Among you there must be not even a mention of fornication or impurity in any of
its forms, or promiscuity: this would hardly become the saints! (v. 3). There
must ne no coarseness, or salacious talk and jokes - all this is wrong for you:
raise your voice in thanksgiving instead (v. 4). For you can be quite certain
that nobody who actually indulges in fornication or impurity or
promiscuity-which is worshipping a false goda- can inherit anything
of the kingdom of God (v. 5) Do not let anything deceive you with empty
arguments: it is for this loose living that God’s anger comes down on those who
rebel against him (v. 6). Make sure that you are not included with them (v. 7). You were darkness once, but now you are light
in the Lord; be like children of light (v.
8), for the effects of the light
are seen in complete good ness and right living and truth (v. 9). Try to
discover what the Lord wants of you (v. 10); having nothing to do with the futile
works of darkness but exposing them by contrast (v. 11). The things which are
done in secret are things that people are ashamed even to speak of (v. 12); but
anything exposed by the light will be illuminated (v. 13) and anything illuminated
turns into light.b That is why it is said:c Wake up from your
sleep, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you (v. 14) d So be very careful about the sort of lives
you lead, like intelligent and not like senseless people (v. 15). This may be a
wicked age, but your lives should redeem it (v. 16). And do not be thoughtless
but recognize what is the will of the Lord (v. 17). Do not drug yourselves with
wine, this is simply dissipation; be filled with the Spirit (v. 18). Sing the words
and tunes of the psalms and hymns when you are together, and go on singing and
chanting to the Lord in your hearts (v. 19), so that always and everywhere you
are giving thanks to God who is your Father in the name of our Lord Jesus
Christ (v. 20). Give way to one another in obedience to Christ (V. 21). Wives
should regard their husbands as they regard the Lord (v. 22), sincee
as Christ is head of the Church and saves the whole body, so is a husband the
head of his wife (v. 23). And as the Church submits to Christ, so should wives
to their husbands, in everything (v. 24). Husbands should love their wives just
as Christ loved the Church and sacrificed himself for her (v. 25), to make her
holy. He made her clean by washing her in water with a form of words (v. 26), so
that when he took her to himself she would be glorious, with no speck or
wrinkle or anything like that, but holy and faultlessf (v. 27). In
the same way, husbands must love their wives as they love their own bodies; for
a man to love his wife is for him to love himself (v. 28). A man never hates
his own body, but he feeds it and looks after it; and that is the way Christ
treats the Church (v. 29). Because it is his body – and we are its living parts
g (30). For this reason, a man must leave his father and mother –
and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one body (v. 31). This
mystery has many implications; but I am saying it applies to Christ and the
Churchh (v. 32). To sum up; you too, each one of you, must love his
wife as he loves himself; and let every wife respect her husband (v. 33). Children,
be obedient to your parents in the Lorda- that is your duty (Ch 6,
v. 1). The first commandment that has a promise attached to it is: Honor your father and mother (v. 2), and the
promise is: and you will prosper and have a long life in the land (v. 3). And parents, never drive your children to
resentment but in bringing them up correct them and guide them as the Lord does
(v. 4) Slaves, be obedient to the men who are called your masters in the world,
with deep respectb and sincere loyalty, as you are obedient to
Christ (v. 5); not only when you are under their eye, as if you had only to
please men, but because you are slaves of Christ and wholeheartedly do the will
of God (v. 6). Work hard and willingly, but do it for the sake of the Lord and
not for the sake of men (v. 7). You can be sure that everyone, whether a slave
or a free man, will be properly rewarded by the Lord for whatever work he has
done well (v. 8). And those of you who are employers, treat yourselves in the same
spirit; do without threats, remembering that they and you have the same Master
in heaven and he is not impressed by one person more than by another (v. 9). Footnote b says “The wrong sort of way to talk about sexual
immorality is the way that leaves the subject in a dangerous obscurity, v. 3.
To talk about it in such a way however that it is recognized for what it is
will lead to its being corrected: this sort of light is the light of Christ that
puts an end to darkness” Footnote
c
says “This (like 1 Tm 3:16) seems to be an extract from an early Christian
hymn. On baptism as an enlightening, cf. Heb. 6:4; 10:32 (cf. Rm 6:4+)”; Footnote
says d – Var.
‘and you will touch Christ’. Footnote
says e says “By
drawing a parallel between human marriage and the marriage of Christ to the
Church, vv. 23-32, Paul makes these two concept illumine each other. Christ is
the husband of the Church because he is her head and because he loves the
Church as much as a man loves his own body when he loves his wife. Having
established this, the comparison naturally suggests an ideal for human
marriage. The symbol of Israel as the wife of Yahweh is common in the OT, Ho
1:2+”; Footnote says f
says “It was customary in the middle east
at the time this letter was written, for the ‘sons of the wedding’ to escort
the bride to her husband after she had been bathed and dressed. As applied
mystically to the Church, Christ washes his bride himself in the bath of
baptism, and makes her immaculate (note the mention of a baptismal formula) and
introduces her to himself”; Footnote
g says “Add. (Vulg.) ‘made from his flesh and blood’; and Footnote
h says “Paul makes this
Gn text a prophecy of the marriage of Christ and the Church: a mystery, like
that of the salvation of the pagans, that has been hidden but is now revealed,
cf. 1:9f; 3:3f.” Chapter 6: Verse 1, Footnote
a says “Om.
‘in the Lord.’; and Footnote b
says “Lit. ‘Fear and trembling’,
cf. 1 Co 2:3+.”
Verse 20 says:
Children be obedient to your parents
always, because that is what will please the Lord.
Parallel text
is Tt 2:5 that says: how they are to be sensible and chaste, and
how to work in their homes, and be gentle, and do as their husbands tell them,
so that the message of God is never disgraced.
Verse 21
says: Parents, never drive your children to
resentment or you will make them feel frustrated.
Parallel text
is Ep 6:1 that says: Children, be obedient to your parents in the Lorda
- that is your duty. Footnote a says “Om. ‘in the Lord.’
‘
