The Holy Family

CARING FOR ONE ANOTHER

Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14: Colossians 3:12-17; Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23

Readings for the Feast of the Holy Family

During an audience, Pope Paul VI spoke about an experience he had when he was Archbishop of Milan and visiting families in a parish. He found an elderly woman living alone. “How are you?” he asked. “Not bad,” she answered. “I have enough food, and I’m not suffering from the cold.” “You must be reasonably happy then?” he said. “No, I’m not,” she said and started to cry. “My son and daughter-in-law never come to see me. I’m dying of loneliness.” The Pope concluded: “Food and warmth are not enough; people need something more. They need our presence, our time, our love. They need to be touched, to be reassured that they are not forgotten.”

This “something more” is what a family ought to provide! A family provides not merely material needs but also and especially emotional and spiritual needs. This is what makes a family: caring for one another and meeting the needs of one another. 

The gospel graphically describes how Joseph and Mary leave home and possessions, family and homeland to preserve their son from Herod’s wrath. They step out of their comfort zone, and live in a country they did not know, with languages and customs not their own; they put themselves out to meet their son’s need for safety and security.

In a family, children, too, have obligations. The first reading exhorts children to respect and obey their parents, and to help them in their old age. 

Paul in his letter to the Colossians suggests attitudes and virtues for the whole family: compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, and forgiveness... and above all, love.

Today’s feast of the Holy Family and the readings give us a blueprint for family life.

How will reach out to the other members of my family? Will I become aware of their needs and get out of my comfort zone to meet those needs? Will I put on compassion, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness and love?

IV Sunday of Advent

LISTEN – OBEY – COOPERATE

Isaiah 7:10-14; Romans 1:1-7; Matthew 1:18-24

Readings for the IV Sunday of Advent

Elisabeth Elliot (who worked for several years with the Huorani in Ecuador) tells of two adventurers who came to see her, loaded with equipment for their adventure in the Andes. They sought no advice, just a few phrases to converse with the Indians!

She writes: “Sometimes we come to God as the two adventurers came to me—confident and, we think, well-informed and well-equipped. We know what we need: a yes/ no answer to a simple question. Or a road sign, something quick and easy to point the way. But has it occurred to us that with all our stuff, something is missing? What we ought to have is the guide himself.”

I guess we can identify with Elliot’s experience. In moments of difficulty, we come to God but seldom to seek his guidance; we come to ask him to approve our plans!

I guess Joseph would identify with Elliot’s experience!

When Joseph discovered that Mary was pregnant, he knew that law required him to denounce Mary. But “since he was a righteous man, and unwilling to expose her to shame, he decided to divorce her quietly.” Joseph decided to go beyond the law; he let compassion guide his decision. But God intervened and made clear to him that he would have to recognize the child in Mary’s womb as his own. Joseph “did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him”. He goes beyond love; he allowed God to guide him and took a leap of faith. This listening-obeying-cooperating with God results in the birth of Jesus.

Paul, in the second reading, is another example of this divine-human dynamic: he, too, listened to God, obeyed him, and facilitated the birth of Jesus in the new churches.

God’s coming in our world still depends on men and women of humility and docility.

In moments of dilemma, do I seek merely God’s approval and rely on my own strength to arrive at decisions? Or do I listen to his voice, obey his will, and cooperate with his plan for me? 

May you and I listen-obey-cooperate and make Christmas still happen!

III Sunday of Advent

HE RENEWS ALL THINGS

Isaiah 35:1-6a, 10; James 5:7-10; Matthew 11:2-11

Readings for the III Sunday of Advent

Dr Verghese Kurien, the Milkman of India and the Father of the White Revolution, helped establish Amul. His brainchild “Operation Flood” became the world’s largest dairy development program and transformed India from a milk-deficient nation in 1949 to the world’s largest milk producer forty years later. He helped farmers improve their financial and social well-being: his work lifted millions out of poverty and contributed to the transformation of rural India. 

What Dr Kurien did for dairy farmers in India, Jesus does for all peoples: he transforms us; he makes all things new! Today’s readings emphasize this renewal and wholeness.

In the first reading, Isaiah announces that the coming of God will cause flowers to bloom in the desert, strengthen feeble hands and weak knees, and bring back the exiles – a radical renewal!

In James’ letter, the coming of the Lord is likened to “the precious fruit of the earth.” 

This renewal is evident in the gospel, too. Jesus answers John’s question (“are you the one?”) in the language of Isaiah: “The blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them.” Isaiah’s prophesy becomes reality with Jesus’ coming.

The same Jesus comes again to renew all things – every day and at the end of time. What should we do while we await his coming? 

In the words of St James, we ought to “be patient” and wait with “hearts firm” like “the farmer waits (patiently and productively) for the precious fruit of the earth”. When we do this, the Lord will make all things new in his time and on his terms.

Will I wait patiently and productively for the coming of God? Do I believe that he transforms reality or do I look for another because his action does not meet my expectations? How can I be his instrument of transformation?

May we be partners with God and cooperate with him as he makes all things new.

II Sunday of Advent

CTRL+Z

Isaiah 11:1-10; Romans 15:4-9; Matthew 3:1-12

Readings for II Sunday of Advent

A useful Windows shortcut, and one I use often, is “Ctrl+Z”! By pressing this key combo, one can undo one’s last action. Did I key in a wrong word? Did I delete an entire paragraph by mistake? No problem! I just press “Ctrl+Z” and return to where I was before my mistake.

All of us have done things that we regret and would like to undo: poor decisions, unkind words, wrong acts; it’s part of being human and sometimes we wish we had Ctrl+Z in our lives.

Advent offers us a Ctrl+Z time and program, summarised in the call of John the Baptist: “Repent… make straight his paths”. 

Repentance is undoing our errors. It is turning away from sin and turning to God. It happens when – like the prodigal son – we come to our senses and return to the Father. It is moving from selfishness to selflessness, from defending oneself to donating oneself. Our ancestry, religious affiliation, social status do not matter. What matters is bearing good fruit: live justly, in harmony with one another, and in total dependence on God.

When we repent, we collaborate with God in the realization of the ideal realm (first reading) and of his kingdom (which Jesus brings and where justice, peace, and harmony reign). 

That’s what Paul exhorts the Romans: “Think in harmony with one another… Welcome one another.”

Today we are a divided people: nations, communities, families are divided. 

In trying to build harmony, we focus on conflict resolution. However, there are issues which are difficult/ impossible to resolve. We need to focus on conflict engagement. We acknowledge our differences and find a way to live in harmony. We acknowledge someone’s perspective without agreeing with that perspective. Not easy but possible!  

In what areas of my life do I need Ctrl+Z? How can I foster peace, justice, harmony and so collaborate in the realization of the kingdom? 

May our celebration of the Eucharist and of Advent be Ctrl+Z time and help us return to our original state of being.