Sunday December 26

FEAST OF THE HOLY FAMILY

 

In the House of the Father

Busy with the Father’s Affairs

 

Greeting (See the Second Reading)

We are already the children of God;

we need not be afraid in his presence.

May the Lord Jesus be always with you. R/ And also with you.

 

Introduction by the Celebrant

In the House of the Father

It may come as a real surprise to us to hear Jesus ask Mary and Joseph: “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I had to be where my Father is?” Even Joseph and Mary had still to learn and to grow in their faith. Like the Holy Family, our families and each of us have also to grow in the faith. Perhaps it is through painful trials like the one of Mary and Joseph that our faith may become mature. We too are asked: Did you not know…?

 

Busy with the Father’s Affairs

It is perhaps hard for us to imagine that Jesus, God’s own Son, was really human, that he grew up not only physically but matured as a person and discovered little by little who he was. Of course, the whole Holy Family sought to do the will of God but we see Jesus affirm today that he has become aware that he is especially close to the Father and that God’s loving will is all that matters. Isn’t that all that matters for us, too, and should also we not grow closer to God? Let Jesus here in this Eucharist help us to become mature in God’s love.

 

Penitential Act

Are we still willing to grow in our faith?

Let us examine ourselves before the Lord.

(PAUSE)

Lord Jesus, you accepted to live

under the authority of Mary and Joseph:

Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.

Jesus Christ, your mother pondered in her heart

the events happening in her life:

Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.

Lord Jesus, with Mary and Joseph

you sought above everything

the will of the Father in heaven:

Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.

Lord, forgive us our sins

and our lack of understanding.

Make us mature in our faith and love.

Lead us to everlasting life. R/ Amen.

 

Opening Prayer

Let us pray

that the Lord Jesus may grow up in us

(PAUSE)

God our Father,

we give you all thanks and praise

that you chose for your Son a human family.

Through the prayers and example

of Mary and Joseph,

may we too learn

to make room for Jesus in our life,

that he may grow up in us day after day

and make us more like him.

We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord. R/ Amen.

 

Reading 1: Sir 3:2-6, 12-14

God sets a father in honor over his children;

a mother’s authority he confirms over her sons.

Whoever honors his father atones for sins,

and preserves himself from them.

When he prays, he is heard;

he stores up riches who reveres his mother.

Whoever honors his father is gladdened by children,

and, when he prays, is heard.

Whoever reveres his father will live a long life;

he who obeys his father 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 all the days of his life;

kindness to a father will not be forgotten,

firmly planted against the debt of your sins

—a house raised in justice to you.

 

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 84:2-3, 5-6, 9-10

R: Blessed are they who dwell in your house, O Lord.

How lovely your dwelling,

O LORD of hosts!

My soul yearns and pines

for the courts of the LORD.

My heart and flesh cry out

for the living God.

R: Blessed are they who dwell in your house, O Lord.

Blessed are those who dwell in your house!

They never cease to praise you.

Blessed the man who finds refuge in you,

in their hearts are pilgrim roads.

 

R: Blessed are they who dwell in your house, O Lord.

LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer;

listen, God of Jacob.

God, watch over our shield;

look upon the face of your anointed.

R: Blessed are they who dwell in your house, O Lord.

 

Reading 2: Col 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.

 

Alleluia Col 3:15a, 16a

Alleluia, alleluia.

Let the peace of Christ control your hearts;

let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.

Alleluia, alleluia.

 

Gospel: Lk 2:41-52

Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year

at the Feast of the Passover.

And when he was twelve years old,

they went up according to custom.

And when the feast was ended, as they were returning,

the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem.

His parents did not know it,

but supposing him to be in the group

they went a day’s journey,

but then they began to search for him

among their relatives and acquaintances,

and when they did not find him,

they returned to Jerusalem, searching for him.

After three days they found him in the temple,

sitting among the teachers,

listening to them and asking them questions.

And all who heard him were amazed

at his understanding and his answers.

And when his parents saw him, they were astonished.

And his mother said to him,

“Son, why have you treated us so?

Behold, your father and I

have been searching for you in great distress.”

And he said to them,

“Why were you looking for me?

Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”

And they did not understand the saying

that he spoke to them.

And he went down with them and came to Nazareth

and was submissive to them.

And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart.

And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature

and in favor with God and man.

 

Intercessions

With the Holy Family of Nazareth we trust in the Lord, who knows all our needs, and we ask him to bless all our human families. Let us say:

R/ Lord, bless your people.

–    For the family of the Church, that it may be a mother and a home for all people in need, let us pray:

R/ Lord, bless your people.

–    For all married couples, that they may keep the freshness of their first love or rediscover it, let us pray:

R/ Lord, bless your people.

–    For all the families of the world, that they may keep growing in mutual appreciation and service, let us pray:

R/ Lord, bless your people.

–    For children and young people, that their parents may be to them grownups concerned about their growth and happiness, let us pray:

R/ Lord, bless your people.

–    For separated couples and their children, that they may meet warm hearted people whose understanding helps them to overcome the failures of their home life, let us pray:

R/ Lord, bless your people.

–    For our Christian communities, that as members of one family we may learn to carry each other’s burdens and to share each other’s joys, let us pray:

R/ Lord, bless your people.

Father, we trust in you. May we not deny one another all the love you show us in Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.

 

Prayer over the Gifts

God our Father,

you invite us to share the family table

of Jesus your Son.

May the food and drink he gives us

change us into gifts to one another,

that we may become each other’s

bread and wine, life and joy.

Let serving love and respect

be our offering to one another,

today and tomorrow and every day,

on account of your Son in our midst,

Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.

 

Introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer

Today we thank our Father for having given us the Holy Family as a model of loving service for our homes. May this Eucharist make us responsive to God’s love.

 

Introduction to the Lord’s Prayer

United before God as his sons and daughters,

we pray the prayer taught us

by his son, Jesus of Nazareth. R/ Our Father…

 

Deliver Us

Deliver us, Lord, from every evil

and let the peace of Christ live

in our hearts and our homes.

Keep us from all that divides us

or encloses us within ourselves.

Give us compassion, gentleness and patience,

that we may prepare in hope and joy

for the full coming among us

of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. R/ For the kingdom…

 

Invitation to Communion

This is Jesus the Lord,

who comes to unite us

as the sons and daughters of the Father.

Happy are we to be invited

at the family table of the Lord. R/ Lord, I am not worthy…

 

Prayer after Communion

God our Father,

Jesus your Son made himself near to us

in this Eucharistic celebration.

He has been here for us

approachable and available to all.

May he keep on living

in our homes and our communities.

Let him make us also approachable

and available to one another,

even at the cost of personal comfort

and, with Mary and Joseph,

ready for any task you may entrust to us.

For we can do anything

in the name of Jesus the Lord. R/ Amen.

 

Blessing

It has been good to be together

as the family of God’s people

and to pray with the Holy Family of Nazareth

for what is dear to all of us:

our homes, our families,

the Christian community,

the family of our nation and people.

May God bless you all

and keep you in his love:

the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.

Go in the peace of the Lord. R/ Thanks be to God.

 

Commentary

Now he is twelve years old, on the threshold of adulthood. Already there is a hint of what is to come: he must be “in his Father’s house.” The enclosing circle of family opens to the greater world. There is pain in the opening, because life is not idyllic for long; it is tragic, which means it is destined for unimaginable greatness. Just how great, we would never know but for that small Child born so long ago, so far away. Yet he is nearer than anyone to every disciple’s heart. Thank you for traveling with me through this very special year. May God’s providence continue to protect and guide us; and sometime – who knows? – it may make our paths to cross.

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