Sunday

30 Dec 2012

Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, Cycle C Click here for all content for this cycle Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, Cycle C

SUNDAY SUMMARY

Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14 or 1 Samuel 1:20-22, 24-28 Hannah delivers back to God the child she received as a blessing.

Psalm 128:1-2, 3, 4-5 or Psalm 84:2-3, 5-6, 9-10 The house of the Lord is remarkable for its beauty, a sign of its indwelling guest.

Colossians 3:12-21 or Colossians 3:12-17 or 1 John 3:1-2, 21-24 We are God’s beloved children, and the Spirit of God remains in us.

Luke 2:41-52 At Passover time the parents of Jesus take him up to the festival in Jerusalem.

The inner word image

The inner word

What’s in your heart?

On the roll call of virtues God’s chosen ones should practice, the Letter to the Colossians lists “bearing with one another”—it’s along the lines of “you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” In daily life “bearing with” can mean “putting up with” or “tolerating” or “carrying one another’s burdens.”

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Exploring the word image

Exploring the word

This way to Jerusalem

In miracle-birth stories we’re reminded that all babies are a gift from God. When a child arrives into our families, we talk about being blessed, but then we might promptly begin to act in ways that betray our unconscious belief that children are more like possessions. We name them, pay for them, raise them, and are in every way responsible for them. They “belong” to us; are they not ours?

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Homily stories image

Homily stories

Keep your balance

In the midst of the hustle and bustle of a busy downtown sidewalk, a little boy was walking very carefully on a long colored stone inlaid in the pavement—as if it were a balance beam, though he couldn’t “fall” off.

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Prayers image

Prayers

Penitential Act & Prayer of the Faithful

With a desire to walk in the ways of the Lord, we ask God to forgive us.

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Homily themes image

Homily themes

Notes on the text

On this feast of the Holy Family, family imagery abounds. Ben Sira lays down a system of behavior and reward: If you honor your parents, your prayers will be heard and you’ll get children, long life, and banked-up righteousness you can use against your sins.

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Sign & sacrament image

Sign & sacrament

The worth of waiting

Waiting patiently is not a talent many of us have. Our tendency is to fill the waiting with all kinds of things to help us forget that we are waiting. Sometimes activity is good, but it can also be a distraction that keeps us from being present to God.

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Quotes image

Quotes

A child needs both to be hugged and unhugged. The hug lets her know she is valuable. The unhug lets her know that she is viable. —Polly Berrien Berends, Gently Lead

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