A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday Liturgy
BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (Series 6, n.5)
Feast of Holy Family, Year A – December 30, 2007
“Family Responsibility”
BIBLE READINGS
Sir 3:2-6, 12-14 // Col 3:12-21 // Mt 2:13-15, 19-23
N.B. Series 6 of BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD: A LECTIO DIVINA APPROACH TO THE SUNDAY LITURGY includes a prayerful study of the Sunday liturgy of Year A from the perspective of the First Reading. For another set of reflections on the Sunday liturgy of Year A, please go to the PDDM Web Archives: WWW.PDDM.US and open Series 3.
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS
It was a very inspiring family oriented celebration. On the Feast of the Holy Family some years ago, the members of the ASSOCIATION OF PAULINE COOPERATORS - Friends of the Divine Master, Antipolo unit, invited me for their Christmas party, which was held in the beautiful, verdant garden of our retreat house, ALBERIONE OASIS, in the Philippines. The highlight of the gathering was the Family Blessing in which the pater familias or head of the family prays over the members. As the family head prayed spontaneously over the members using words that spring forth from the heart, I was reminded of the exhortation made by Pope John Paul II about family life. The Holy Father declared: “In a world in which the supporting function of many institutions seems to be failing, the family can and must become a place of real serenity and harmonious growth … The Christian family, therefore, must change more and more into a community of love, such as to make it possible to overcome, in faithfulness and harmony, the inevitable difficulties of everyday life; into a community of life, in order to give rise to, and cultivate joyfully, precious new existences in the image of God; into a community of grace, which will constantly make the Lord Jesus Christ its own center of gravity and focal point, in such a way as to make the commitment of each one fruitful and to draw new vigor in daily progress.”
This Sunday’s celebration of the Feast of the Holy Family indicates how a Christian family can be more sacrificing, caring and co-responsible so as to make it a community of love, life and grace. The Gospel reading (Mt 2:13-15, 19-23) presents the sacrificial aspect experienced by the ideal Holy Family – Jesus, Mary and Joseph - who made an arduous flight into Egypt to escape Herod’s evil intent to kill the child. As docile instruments of God’s saving plan, they had to endure the struggles of those forced into exile and the violence of those who had negated the love of God. Indeed, the peace of family living does not exclude the trials, hardships and strife originating from outside factors. Mary and Joseph, however, were under the protection of God and the presence of the Prince of Peace in their midst assured them of divine intervention and providence. The mother of Jesus and his foster father Joseph thus put their trust in the mysterious design of Yahweh, the God of the covenant.
The Old Testament reading (Sir 3:2-6, 12-14) underlines that the blessings of family life could thrive and flourish where there is co-responsibility, honor, respect and compassionate love between parents and children. Fidelity to Yahweh involves caring for one another and the spirit of sacrifice. The book of Sirach, a charming work of an inspired and contemplative sage, shares timeless wisdom in the form of aphorisms – sayings, maxims and kernels of truth. This Sunday’s passage, with its keen observations about family relationship and the mutual duties of children and parents, is most appropriate for our celebration of the Feast of the Holy Family. It helps us to delve into the meaning and the challenges of family life. Against the backdrop of the Book of Sirach, we perceive a beautiful image of what a Christian family is called to be.
The biblical scholar Eugene Maly comments: “The Christian family’s life must be characterized by a love giving peace, a love that each member can offer only because each member understands his or her proper relationship among the members. Parents exercise authority because they accept their authority from above. Children acknowledge the role of parents in their lives. Husbands and wives accept positions of co-responsibility and still acknowledge one another’s gifts and personhood. Children live together in an atmosphere that is conducive to growth and not to strife. Sirach points out the diverse roles of family members. . He comments on Exodus 20:12, which treats of the fourth commandment: Love your father and your mother Such treatment of one’s parents will bring countless blessings upon the children, and no one is ever excused from showing honor to his or her parents.”
The following story illustrates the ideal of co-responsibility, mutual devotion and self-sacrificing love at work in the Roloff family and how this proved to be the best Christmas gift of all (cf. “Love Comes In All Sizes” by Amy Roloff in GUIDEPOSTS, December 2007, p. 66-69). Amy and Matt who are dwarfs are parents of four children: the 17-year old twins, Jeremy and Zachary, 14-year old Molly and Jacob, ten years old. Only Zachary is a dwarf, like Amy and Matt. The highlight of their Christmas celebration is gathering in the family room and reading together the story of Jesus’ birth, about this great gift God gave us, how God loved the world so much he gave us his only begotten Son. Recognizing that the real heart of Christmas is sacrificial love, the parents tried to impart this holiday lesson to their children, in ways both big and small. Last December, Zach had to undergo surgery in one of his legs to correct a problem caused by achondroplasia, a form of dwarfism. The whole family traveled from Oregon to Oakland, California where the surgery would take place, including Zach’s twin, Jeremy. Amy narrates:
Jeremy did what he could to help his twin, but I could tell he was getting a little antsy. Once we knew that Zach was out of the woods, Jeremy planned to fly up to Portland with Matt – and Zach – in time for snowboarding. His cell phone rang like crazy the whole time. “There’s new snow? Don’t worry. I’ll be back in Oregon soon. I am so there!” But then Matt announced a change of plans. “I’m going to stay in Oakland a little longer so I can drive Zach home.” It had become clear that there was no way Zach would be comfortable on a plane so soon after a surgery. But I also knew there was no way Matt would want to do that trip without help from Jeremy. For one thing, he’s the only one of us who’s tall enough to load up the luggage rack. And he would be a big help with the driving. There was silence in the room. It’s not Matt’s style to tell his kids to do things – especially a teen. I looked at Jeremy and could tell he was crestfallen. He was struggling, thinking of his buddies back at Mount Hood and his girlfriend, all those things that even a teen senses might only come by once in your life. For a moment I thought he was going to tell Matt that he had to have his freedom. Matt would manage. He’s used to managing. “That’s okay,” Jeremy finally said. “I’ll stay here in Oakland. I want to help you guys. It’s important to be here for Zach – and for you.” And that was it. Matt and Jeremy drove Zach back, and Jeremy sacrificed his break without complaint. I received plenty of presents that Christmas, but the greatest gift was having my kids home, and especially seeing how my 16-year-old son had grown up. He’d discovered one of the best things about families: When you sacrifice something you love to help someone you love, you grow by leaps and bounds. That love is the glue that holds families together. It’s held ours together through good times and bad. This Christmas we’ll all be at the farm again. There’ll be the usual quiet celebration, the trimming of the tree (Jeremy reaching the top), the honey-baked ham and apple pie, and, we hope, at least a guest or two. But this mother will be quietly treasuring the gift of last year. As Jeremy put it, “Mom, when it comes to the people you love, sometimes you have to put off the other stuff.” In doing that, you discover the stuff that really matters.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART
What are the important lessons you have learned from the life of the Holy Family – Jesus, Mary and Joseph? How is the sacrificial element woven into the warp and woof of their family life? Do you endeavor to imitate the examples of the Holy Family and strive to build a community of love, life and grace?
2 What are the important lessons you have learned from the Book of Sirach? How do your honor your father and mother? How do you experience and show filial devotion? What is the importance of family life in the saving plan of God?
3 Have you experienced sacrificing something you love to help someone you love? How did this sacrificial love affect your spiritual life and growth? What do you do to promote family life and how do we imbue family life with Christian values? Why is it important to celebrate meaningfully the Christian feast of the Holy Family?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD
Leader: Merciful and loving God, it was your love and Christmas gift that Jesus Christ, born of the Virgin Mary, should humble himself and thereby raise a fallen world, so that all your children might share in your life. Grant to all who are bound by family ties the grace to cling to you, the strength to obey you, the willingness to serve you, and the thankfulness to praise you. May we welcome the ineffable mystery of the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever.
Assembly: Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the week. Please memorize it.
“God sets a father in honor over his children; a mother’s authority he confirms over her sons.” (Sir 3:2)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION
ACTION PLAN: Meditate on the blessings and duties of family life in the light of the ideal offered us by the Holy Family – Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Make an effort to contribute to the growth and nourishment of family life by your word and example. When needed, be ready to sacrifice something you love to be able to help someone you love.
ACTION PLAN: To help us feel more intensely the family spirit of Christmas and perceive more gratefully the gift of the Holy Family, make an effort to spend an hour in Eucharistic Adoration. Visit the PDDM WEB site (www.pddm.us) for the EUCHARISTIC ADORATION THROUGH THE LITURGICAL YEAR (Vol. 4, n. 5): A Weekly Pastoral Tool.
Prepared by Sr. Mary Margaret Tapang PDDM
PIAE DISCIPULAE DIVINI MAGISTRI
SISTER DISCIPLES OF THE DIVINE MASTER
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Website: WWW.PDDM.US