A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday Liturgy
BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (Series 7, n. 5)
Holy Family, Year B – December 28, 2008
“The Family of God”
BIBLE READINGS
Gen 15:1-6, 21:1-3 // Heb 11:8, 11-12, 17-19 // Lk 2:22-40
(N.B. Series 7 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 B from the perspective of the Second Reading. For other reflections on the Sunday liturgy of Year B, please go to the PDDM Web Archives: WWW.PDDM.US and open Series 1 & 4.)
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS
This Sunday’s liturgy is an invitation not only to cherish the gift of the Holy Family of Nazareth and its inspiration for our own natural families, but also to promote the reality of a wider and more inclusive family – the family of God. This great family of God was generated by the Christmas-Easter mystery of the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ and the radical saving event of his passion, death and resurrection. Jesus Savior, a descendant of the patriarch Abraham, was born in Bethlehem and became an integral part of a domestic family in Nazareth - the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph - to unite all humankind into the one family of God.
Aelred Rosser comments: “The word family is one of the richest in our language. We use it to mean many different things, many kinds of relationships, many degrees of kinship, both distant and intimate … It is in the widest sense of family that we see the true meaning of today’s feast. For the emphasis is not so much on Mary, Joseph and Jesus in Nazareth as it is on the family of God, we who have become one family in the miracle of Christmas. The Word became flesh. The creator of all human beings became a human being – uniting us to each other in the most intimate and inclusive family ever known in human history … A very special notion of family permeates the first reading. We still refer to Abraham, as our father in faith … In faith we are the descendants of faithful Abraham, and so are brothers and sisters the world over … To the degree that we fail to recognize every human being as a member of one family, we fail to understand God’s irrevocable plan.”
Today’s Old Testament reading (Gen 15:1-6; 21:1-3) depicts a very special family – Abraham and Sarah, and their offspring Isaac, born from a miracle of faith. This ancient family became instruments of God’s saving plan, even and especially in the face of impossible and extremely difficult situations. By faith, a whole new race of descendants sprang forth from the “seed” of Abraham, who was advanced in years when Isaac was promised to him by God. With the birth of Isaac from the formerly barren womb of Abraham’s elderly wife Sarah, the long line of heirs resulting from God’s covenant with the patriarch began. From Abraham’s lineage would issue the Messiah - Jesus Christ, the “salvation” prepared by God in the sight of all peoples, the “light of revelation” to the nations.
Abraham’s tremendous faith response to God’s ongoing and progressive initiative to make a “family of nations” from his “seed” is underlined in the second reading of today’s liturgy (Heb 11:8, 11-12, 17-19). The patriarch responded wholeheartedly to the loving and faithful God who called him to journey into the “unknown”, who inspired him to believe in the divine promise of inheritance, and lastly, who challenged him to sacrifice the very pledge of that inheritance. By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance … By faith he received power to generate, even though he was past the normal age and Sarah herself was sterile … By faith Abraham, when put to the test, offered up Isaac, his only son, of whom it was said, Through Isaac descendants shall bear your name.”
The authors of the Days of the Lord, vol. 1, explicate: “Faith, therefore, is totally and completely placing oneself in the hands of God, not in blind obedience, but with the assurance of having a bond with him. It establishes a communion with God, wherein God’s promise and the destiny of the one who believes in his word are intertwined, and will always be so, no matter what happens. It allows one to walk in the right direction with the humble –sometimes painful – confidence, as if we could see the invisible.”
Against the backdrop of the faith response manifested by Abraham and the role played by his ancient family in salvation history, we see the tremendous importance of the Holy Family of Nazareth in preparing the universal “family of God”. In the faith response of Jesus, Mary and Joseph to God’s mysterious saving design for humanity, we see an irrevocable movement towards the formation of God’s family. Indeed, the more our vision is enlightened by faith and our actions animated by it, the more the human race will become a “family” - the “family of God”.
Harold Buetow remarks: “We will become the family of humanity, the family of church, the family of God when all the stereotypes are gone, when all the ancient grudges and prejudices and fears are gone – when we look at ourselves and every human being as a family member, each one of us … We balk, we scoff, but then we let faith take over and become channels of grace in spite of ourselves. There is no better example for us to follow than Jesus, of course. Jesus saw great potential in the weak and the sinful, the odd and the outcast. He also saw potential in the proud and obstinate, the coldhearted and the cynical, the angry and the resentful. He could do this – and we too – because he saw that pride is really insecurity, obstinacy is really fear, hard-heartedness and cynicism and resentment are simply pain in disguise. By faith, we see through such disguise and recognize ourselves behind all of them.”
In his Christmas Message 2008 to the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, Cardinal Roger Mahony speaks of the deeper solidarity that should animate the family of humankind and the family of God. It comes from our shared faith in Jesus Christ and in his Gospel. In the face of today’s tremendous economic crisis that has generated many fears, worries, uncertainties and insecurities in the world, God’s Christmas gift to us Jesus - Son of God and Son of Mary - is our source of hope and the point of solidarity. Cardinal Mahony asserts: “There is a deeper recognition that all of us – rich, middle class, poor – have been affected by the financial crisis wreaking havoc in the world. We are being challenged to adopt a new frame of mind, a new understanding of Christmas, in which there is a deeper solidarity among us all. The point of solidarity is the poor infant who lies in a manger. In him the rich and the poor come together: kings and paupers; wise men and shepherds come to behold the gift that is given to them. And to us. All of us. Our solidarity with one another rests in this gift of God who comes poor to all of us.”
The following story about Evan gives us a glimpse into his journey towards personal and family integration (cf. “Hardship and Christmas Miracles” in POVERELLO NEWS, December 2008, p. 3-4). It is a Christmas miracle that heartens us and illustrates how the spirit of solidarity is at work in the “family of God”.
Experiencing a bleak Christmas is a common occurrence for people ending up at Poverello House; however, the current big political and cultural events don’t necessarily affect the outlook of the homeless and poor, primarily because their day-to-day existence is already so grim. In much the same way as economically shell-shocked people this year mourn the passing of better days, the homeless mourn the passing of their former lives, which can seldom be regained.
Evan (not his real name) was one such person. Christmas of 2005 found him someplace he didn’t want to be: in the Poverello House Resident Program. His work and family life had come unraveled due to his and his wife’s addictions. By nature a kind and hardworking man, methamphetamine dependence had turned him into a raging, abusive spouse. He was incarcerated as a result of his violent actions. He lost everything, including his six children, all of whom he dearly loved. He had run out of hope until Jimmie, our Program Director, came to the county jail and interviewed him for our program. Evan was released into the custody of Poverello House. His probation required him to complete the Resident Program. That first Christmas at Poverello, nothing looked very promising in his life.
However, along the way, something changed inside of him. He began to really want sobriety and the benefits that come from living without drugs. He was determined to finish what he started at Poverello, and he followed through on that determination. He then chose to move into the transitional phase of our program, a phase designed to be a step toward a better future. He was observed to have talent in our kitchen and a knack for leadership, and he began to formulate a dream of attending a culinary institute. As Evan grew emotionally stronger, he reconnected with his children and began spending time with them. Eventually, Poverello helped him begin a local program in chef training.
Now, three years later, Evan is working toward completion of his schooling and has found some part-time work as a chef. In fact, he has developed a growing reputation as a chef with great ability, and has even prepared a meal for a celebrity fundraiser. He is beginning to be in demand in his profession, a situation that would have been unimaginable to him in 2005, when he felt like a complete failure.
This Christmas will be perhaps the best yet for him. As we all know, Christmas is very special when there is family harmony, and his family relationships are better than ever. Evan’s parents now have custody of his children, and he is able to see them weekly. He has come to know them better, and a great deal of hurt has been healed by his efforts. Evan has achieved over three years of continuous sobriety; is on his way to certification as a chef; and is working in a field that promises to provide a good living, respect from others, and an outlet for his creativity. (…)
If Evan’s life can turn around so dramatically, then anything might happen during the magical and mystical season we call Christmas. The holiday began over 2,000 years ago with a miracle in a tiny stable. For those with the eyes to see, yuletide miracles still occur, and that fact should encourage us in hard times.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART
What insights have you gleaned from God’s covenant initiative to make of Abraham a great “family” and to bless him with numerous descendants? What was Abraham’s response to God’s loving plan?
How does the author of the letter to the Hebrews underline the faith of Abraham? Do we endeavor to imitate the response of Abraham, our “father in faith”? What is the importance of a vision of faith in promoting family life and the saving plan of God?
What do the patriarch Abraham’s family and the Holy Family of Nazareth teach us about collaborating in the saving plan of God? How do we contribute in promoting the value of family life in a domestic setting and in the universal setting as “family of God”?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD
Leader: Loving Father,
we thank you for the faith of Abraham, Sarah and Isaac.
From the “seed” of patriarch Abraham
issued forth the “family of faith”.
In the fullness of time,
the Messiah Jesus Christ was born from Abraham’s lineage.
Your divine, saving Word became man
to unite the fragmented “family of the human race”
into the one, great “family of God”.
The promised Messiah was born of the Virgin Mary
and cared for by Joseph of Nazareth.
The Son of God became an integral part of the Holy Family.
Mary and Joseph nourished him in that abode of holiness
and helped him to submit to your saving will.
Your Servant-Son grew in a Jewish family-community setting
and was filled with wisdom and grace.
By the Christmas mystery of his incarnation
and the Easter event of his passion, death and resurrection,
Jesus Christ drew all nations to himself,
transforming them into the wondrous “family of God”.
O merciful and provident God,
give us the grace to be living and active members
of “the family redeemed by Christ”
and to be efficacious instruments of peace and harmony for all.
Grant us the wholehearted faith of Abraham.
Instill in us the obedient trust
that animated the Holy Family of Nazareth.
Fill us with the faith of Jesus, Mary and Joseph
and teach us the meaning of “human solidarity”.
Help us to be thankful for the astounding Christmas gift,
Jesus Christ, your divine Son.
He assumed our weakness and fragility
for the salvation of the world.
Through him, with him and in him,
we wish to build a better world
and endeavor to become members of the “family of God”
who will give you glory and praise,
now and forever.
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.
“My eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and the glory for your people Israel.” (Lk 2:30-32)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION
ACTION PLAN: Pray for “family solidarity” in all levels. By your peaceful stance and works of charity, especially on behalf of the poor and the needy, and the unfortunate victims of the economic crisis, endeavor to promote the unity and integrity of the “family of nations” and of the “family of God”.
ACTION PLAN: That we may give glory and praise to God the Father for his “Christmas” gift in the person of our Savior Jesus Christ and to promote the growth of the “family of God”, 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: A Weekly Pastoral Tool (Year B, vol. 5, # 5).
Prepared by Sr. Mary Margaret Tapang PDDM
PIAE DISCIPULAE DIVINI MAGISTRI
SISTER DISCIPLES OF THE DIVINE MASTER
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